SAN FRANCISCO – 5 months after a special jury was unable to achieve a verdict in his case, an Oakland man was convicted of murdering a Louisiana native on the orders of a violent pot trafficker recognized by the nickname “Hitler,” prosecutors introduced Monday.
Burt Gucci Rhodes, 41, was convicted Thursday of murdering Trince Thibodeaux, 28, of Los Gatos. Thibodeaux was fatally shot March 22, 2016 in Oakland. Prosecutors mentioned that Rhodes was the person who fatally shot Thibodeaux after one other particular person lured him to Worldwide Boulevard that night time, however the protection maintained that DNA proof eradicated Rhodes as a suspect.
The case stems from a 2018 indictment charging 5 folks with being a part of the so-called “Etienne Enterprise,” a marijuana trafficking ring led by Marcus “Hitler” Etienne, 41, of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. Etienne’s then-wife, Elizabeth Gobert, a pal named Craig Marshall, and one other cohort, Mario Robinson, 39, of Oakland, had been additionally charged.
Gobert and Marshall agreed to cooperate with authorities and testified towards Rhodes. Each Etienne and Robinson pleaded responsible to homicide, however refused to testify at Rhodes’ trial, which led a federal choose so as to add on an additional 180 days in jail for each males, for contempt of court docket. Etienne initially acquired 34 years in jail and Robinson was given a 32-year jail time period, information present.
In response to prosecutors, Etienne needed Thibodeaux useless resulting from a dispute over $5,700 within the marijuana trafficking ring, which shipped hashish from Northern California to Louisiana. Etienne paid Robinson and Marshall $5,000 to lure Thibodeaux to Worldwide Boulevard, the place authorities allege Rhodes killed him. Etienne instructed Thibodeaux’s household that one other man, Rodney Savoy, was accountable; Savoy was subsequently gunned down inside his dwelling due to the scapegoating.
In July 2018, Marshall instructed the FBI that he was in Houston when Etienne referred to as him, yelling about how “Trince (expletive) up.” He mentioned that he and Robinson flew to Los Angeles and traveled to Oakland from there, assembly with Etienne at a Motel 6 the place he defined he needed Thibodeaux “knocked off.”
Marshall mentioned he refused to line up a hitman, however that Robinson mentioned he would do it, and that he recruited Rhodes — also referred to as Moeshawn — who he’d recorded music with in a rap group referred to as the Greenback Signal Gang. Marshall instructed authorities he noticed Rhodes personally shoot Thibodeaux not less than 5 occasions.
However the protection argued that Robinson had employed a 3rd, unknown, get together to execute Thibodeaux and that Rhodes had been merely left to take the blame. Rhodes’ legal professional, Kenneth Wine, argued that when Gobert testified she heard Robinson say “my homeboy did it,” referring to the homicide, it was unclear who she was referring to. He additionally pointed to Smith’s testimony that she picked Robinson and Marshall up from an airport after the homicide, and that Marshall requested Robinson why he was appearing so nervous when it was Marshall who did the deed.
In 2017, after preliminary expenses had been filed towards Etienne and Gobert, the 2 allegedly plotted to have Robinson killed, in line with prosecutors. Etienne additionally allegedly instructed Thibodeaux’s household that a man named Ronald Savoy was accountable for killing Thibodeaux, leading to one of many sufferer’s members of the family murdering Savoy for revenge, prosecutors mentioned.
Rhodes is because of be sentenced in January by U.S. District Decide William Alsup. He faces life in jail.