Believe it or not, several famous folks have been accused of killing other people. Many were involved in tragic accidents that resulted in deaths, while others committed cold-blooded murder.
Famous Folks Who Have Allegedly Taken A Life was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
1. Lawrence Phillips
Lawrence Phillips is accused of killing his cellmate.
2. Suge Knight
In 2015 Suge Knight was arrested and charged with murder for a hit and run that killed one and injured another.
3. Josh Brent
On January 24, 2014, Brent was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter in the death of Jerry Brown and sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years probation
4. Michael Jace
The actor was arrested yesterday and charged with the shooting death of April Jace, his wife of nine years.
5. Russell Neal (90s Group Hi-Five)
Neal is currently in custody after his wife was found dead inside of their apartment. Reportedly, he drove to the courthouse, informed officers of her death and immediately requested a lawyer.
6. Rapper C-Murder
Corey Miller, brother of Percy “Master P” Miller, uncle of Romeo, and cousin of producer Mo B. Dick – is currently serving a life sentence for murder. He was convicted of second degree murder following the 2002 beating and shooting of a 16 year-old fan, Steve Thomas, at a Louisiana nightclub.
7. Howard Hughes
Eccentric billionaire (and native Houstonian) hit and killed a pedestrian named Gabriel S. Meyer in 1936 while in Los Angeles. A jury determined the death was accidental.
8. Felicia Pearson
When “The Wire” actress Felicia Pearson was 14, she was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Okia Toomer. Though she was sentenced to serve two consecutive 8-year terms, she was released after just 6.5 years at the Maryland Correctional Institute.
9. Huddie William Ledbetter
Blues legend Lead Belly had a bad temper, and he was charged with murder for killing one of his relatives. The two men were fighting over a woman.
10. Donte Stallworth
The NFL player struck and killed a pedestrian, 59-year-old Mario Reyes, while driving under the influence in Miami Beach, Florida. He was charged with DUI and second-degree manslaughter in which he plead guilty to both charges. He and the Reyes family settled on a financial agreement out of court.
11. Rebecca Gayheart
Actress and former face of Noxzema was convicted of vehicular manslaughter after she hit and killed a 9-year old boy in 2001.
12. Phil Spector
In 2003, Lana Clarkson was found dead from a gunshot wound in Phil Spector’s home. He was charged with the murder, and in 2009, Spector was found guilty and sentenced 19 years to life in prison.
13. Matthew Broderick
In 1987, Matthew Broderick and his then girlfriend, Jennifer Grey, were on vacation in Ireland. Broderick mistakenly drove the wrong way on a street and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. The driver and passenger (mother & daughter) in the other car both died from their injuries.
14. J.R. Smith
In 2007, the NBA player drove through a stop sign, causing an accident that killed the passenger in his vehicle. After pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter, Smith was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but only served 24.
15. Rick Springfield
In his memoir he says he was entertaining troops in Vietnam when they came under attack. The singer helped load mortars, one of which eventually killed a Viet Cong soldier. Springfield stated it was one of his deepest, darkest secrets.
16. Vince Neil
The Motley Crue front man was involved in a drunk driving fatality wreck in 1984. Neil was behind the wheel when one of his passengers was killed and the other two were seriously injured. The musician plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving.
17. Robert Blake
Blake was charged with the murder of his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, who was shot to death. He was later acquitted, but he was found liable for wrongful death in a civil lawsuit.
18. Ted Kennedy
In 1969, he drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick, an island near Martha’s Vineyard. The car went into the water, and though Kennedy swam free, his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned in the overturned vehicle. Kennedy fled the scene and waited nine hours to report the incident; he later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.
19. Michael Massee
The actor accidentally shot and killed Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow when a prop gun was improperly prepared for the scene and a stuck bullet caused the tragic accident. Massee said he still has nightmares about the event.
20. Aaron Hernandez
The former New England Patriots tight end is currently awaiting trial for first degree murder charges. In 2013, his friend, Odin Lloyd, was found dead in an industrial park a mile from Hernandez’s house, having been shot several times.
21. Michael Brea
In 2010, the actor (Ugly Betty) reportedly decapitated his mother with a three-foot long samurai sword while screaming Bible passages.
22. Amy Locane-Bovenizer
The former “Melrose Place” actress was sentenced to three years in jail for a drunk driving crash that killed a 60-year old woman in 2010.
23. Laura Bush
When the former first lady was in high school, she neglected to stop at a stop sign, she hit another car and killed its driver, Michael Dutton Douglas, who happened to be a close friend and classmate.
