Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Rapper Mac Minister Profiled On America's Most Wanted, Sought For Questioning In New Murder

Bay Area rapper Mac Minister was profiled on Fox's long-running television series America's Most Wanted on Saturday (Feb. 11).
Police have been seeking Mac Minister, born Andre Dow, in connection with the May 2005 murders of Kansas City rapper Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins and his companion, Jermaine "Cowboy" Akins.
Police suspect Mac Minister and an accomplice, Jason "Corleone" Mathis, of shooting and killing Fat Tone and Cowboy in retaliation for the murder of Vallejo rapper Andre "Mac Dre" Hicks.
Mac Dre was gunned down in November 2004 after an alleged dispute over payment for a
concert. It was widely believed that Fat Tone was behind Mac Dre's murder, although police never substantiated the claims.
According to police, Fat Tone and Cowboy were seen leaving their hotel with Mac Minister hours before they were murdered.
Fat Tone's family members told investigators that Mac Minister had allegedly arranged a meeting with representatives from
Snoop Dogg's record label for a possible record deal at a Snoop Dogg concert in Las Vegas.
The bodies of Fat Tone and Cowboy were found in a construction area outside of Las Vegas a short time later. Both men suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Prior to his murder, Fat Tone had been involved in several violent altercations in Kansas City.
The rapper was shot multiple times with an AK-47 in 2003 while riding in an SUV with Sacramento rapper C-Bo, San Francisco rapper Messy Marv and others. Fat Tone and C-Bo were seriously injured in the shooting but both survived.
In October 2004, Fat Tone was shot at again while leaving a Kansas City nightclub, just one month before Mac Dre was gunned down.
In May 2005, police found a Pontiac Sunfire on fire in Vallejo, Calif., and tracked the vehicle to Corleone's girlfriend, Lee Danae Laursen.
Corleone was arrested and is currently awaiting trial in Las Vegas.
Following that incident, police pulled Mac Minister over in July 2005 near the Golden Gate Bridge, and the rapper fled the scene. A chase ensued across the bridge and Mac Minister managed to escape.
Officers searched his abandoned car and found a documentary he had produced about his life, as well as an internet article about the murders of Fat Tone and Cowboy.
Mac Minister was arrested again a month later by California Highway Patrol but was released a short time after.
In November 2005, Mac Minister was charged with two counts of murder with a deadly weapon and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
Two days after Mac Minister was formally indicted, Corleone's girlfriend, Lee Danae Laursen, was found murdered.
Police are now seeking Mac Minister as a "person of interest" in Laursen's murder as well.
Mac Minister has recorded with fellow Bay Area rappers Mac Dre, E-40 and Yukmouth, among others.
In 2000, the rapper grabbed headlines when he was involved in a major brawl with E-40 during the Source Awards.