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The man charged in the 2015 murder of New York City rapper Chinx was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
On Monday (Aug. 12), Quincy Homere was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the killing of New York rapper Chinx. Homere, also known as “Q” or “Qwality,” received the sentence in a Queens courtroom. The 32-year-old pled guilty to manslaughter the month before. At the time of his death, Chinx was enjoying a fair amount of success with a series of mixtapes and being signed to French Montana’s label. “Homere fired numerous rounds into Pickens’ car while he was stopped at a red light in Briarwood and then fled, leaving the young man for dead,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement after the sentencing. “Nothing can undo what happened, but I hope today’s sentence brings some solace to Pickens’ loved ones as they continue to grieve.”
The murder took place on May 17, 2015, as Chinx, aka Lionel Pickens Jr., had stopped at a red light on his way home from a show in Brooklyn. Homere was identified as the shooter with an accomplice, Jamar Hill. Homere would make a statement in court. “I’d like to express my condolences to the family and anyone else that was affected with what happened here,” he said. “I don’t believe there’s words that can express the way I feel about what transpired here.” Chinx’s widow, Janelli Caceres-Pickens, also delivered a statement to the court, saying: “I was told I had two minutes to say goodbye, holding his mother’s hand, watching his lifeless body, praying and crying for him to wake up. A mother has to bury her son. At the age of 28, I had become a widow. My children, who were 15, 11, and 4, are now without a dad.”
Homere and Hill were identified as suspects in the killing in 2017 by DA Katz, with both pleading not guilty at the time of their arrest. They were indicted on five counts, one count each of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Sources close to Homere stated that jealousy was a factor in the killing and court documents that the two “hunted Chinx down like an animal” due to a dispute they had over a phone while incarcerated on Rikers Island. Hill’s case has not been settled as he’s currently incarcerated for an unrelated charge.