Philadelphia rapper Cool C was scheduled to be executed today, Jan. 8, but a judge in Pennsylvania decided to grant the artist a stay of execution. This is the second stay Christopher Roney has received after being convicted of killing a female police officer in 1996. His first stay was granted in 2006, Philly station NBC 10 reports.
According to the court case, Roney, along with Steady B — real name Warren McGlone — and Mark Canty, robbed a PNC bank in the late 1990s. Officer Lauretha Vaird entered the bank during the robbery and was shot to death. Despite witness reports and surveillance tapes, Roney has maintained his innocence, claiming to have been eating with his mother at the time of the murder.
Vaird was the first female officer murdered on duty in Philly.
McGlone was sentenced to life in prison for murder in the second degree. He and Canty both fingered Roney as the trigger man in the 1996 ordeal.
Roney gained notoriety in the late 1980s as part of the Hilltop Hustlers, which scored an underground hit with "Juice Crew Dis." He released two solo albums, I Gotta Habit in 1989 and Life in the Ghetto in 1990. Roney linked up with McGlone and Ultimate Eaze in 1991 to form C.E.B. Their only album, Countin' Endless Bank, produced one charted single with "Get the Point." He also gained praise with "Glamorous Life."
The rapper's first stay was granted until all post-conviction litigation was resolved. No information has surfaced about why Roney was given a second stay.
Readers: What do you make of the situation? Should a second stay have been granted? What would you have done if you were the judge? Let us know what you think down in the comments section.
