Meek Mill granted new trial as appeals court tosses conviction

A Pennsylvania appeals court threw out rapper Meek Mill‘s decade-old conviction in a drug and gun case. The unanimous three-judge opinion on Wednesday grants the rapper, born Robert Williams, a new trial because of new evidence of alleged police corruption.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court also overturned the trial judge’s parole violation findings that sent the entertainer back to prison in 2017 for five months. And in a rare move, the superior court pulled her off the case. “We conclude the after-discovered evidence is of such a strong nature and character that a different verdict will likely result at a retrial,” the opinion said.

Meek Mill issued a statement thanking the court for its decision. “The past 11 years have been mentally and emotionally challenging, but I’m ecstatic that justice prevailed,” he said.

Prosecutors could choose to drop the case. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office has said it will not call the police officer who was the sole prosecution witness because of new doubts about his credibility.