Jimmy Henchman Gets A Third Trial For Ordering The Murder Of Lodi Mack

A hip-hop mogul is entitled to a new trial on charges he had a rival from 50 Cent’s G-Unit whacked, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

James (Jimmy Henchman) Rosemond, 51, was sentenced to life in prison for the 2009 murder of G-Unit associate Lowell (Lodi Mac) Fletcher — but the Second Circuit Court of Appeals found he’d been deprived of his right to a fair trial.

Rosemond’s lawyer, the decision says, had been improperly barred from putting on a full defense because of the trial judge’s ruling involving the testimony of the main witness against Rosemond, Brian McCleod.

McCleod, who was involved in the hit on Fletcher, testified that Rosemond never actually used the words “kill” or “murder” when he ordered the attack on him in the Bronx.

The judge said if Rosemond’s lawyer used that information to argue the government hadn’t proven its case, the feds could show the jury statements Rosemond made in plea negotiations acknowledging he’d wanted Fletcher dead.

The Second Circuit said the judge “erred” and ordered a new trial for Rosemond.

“It is a major step in Mr. Rosemond’s path to justice,” said Rosemond’s appellate lawyer, Michael Rayfield.

Rosemond was the head of Czar Entertainment, “a music label that engaged in a lengthy and violent feud with a rival company, Violator Records, and its rap group, G-Unit,” the ruling says.

The feud started in 2005, when G-Unit backer 50 Cent “publicly insulted” a Czar rapper during an interview on Hot 97.

That led to gunfire between the two groups — and an attempted peace summit organized by P. Diddy.


The sitdown didn’t work, and in 2007 Fletcher and another G-Unit member slapped and threatened Rosemond’s 14-year-old son with a gun outside of Hot 97’s studio.

Fletcher was locked up for the crime — and marked for death by Rosemond when he got out, prosecutors said.


McCleod said at Rosemond’s request, he arranged to meet Fletcher near a Bronx subway station, where he was gunned down.

McCleod said he’d thought that Fletcher would be shot, but that Rosemond never used the word “kill.”

Rosemond will still have an uphill climb at his retrial — the appeals court noted that prosecutors have a strong case against him.

The ruling notes that Rosemond paid Fletcher’s killers with a kilo of cocaine worth $30,000.



“After hearing that Fletcher had been killed, rather than become angry or express regret, Rosemond gloated to friends about what had occurred and paid the participants for their actions,” the ruling notes.

Rosemond, 51, won’t be going anywhere while awaiting his retrial — he’s currently serving a life sentence on drug and gun charges.

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