Mistrial for rap promoter in NYC murder case

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has declared a mistrial in the murder case of a hip-hop promoter already serving a life sentence for smuggling cocaine.

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon made the ruling Friday in Manhattan federal court after the jury said it was deadlocked.

Federal prosecutors had charged James Rosemond and Rodney Johnson in the 2009 shooting death of Lowell Fletcher, an associate of rapper G-Unit.

They say the killing was payback for an assault on Rosemond's son.

Rosemond's lawyer had argued the witnesses against him were unreliable.

James "Jimmy the Henchman" Rosemond was convicted last October of shipping cocaine in music equipment cases between studios in New York and Los Angeles. He's represented artists such as The Game and Sean Kingston.

Prosecutors said they're considering options for a retrial.