Terry Boyd, a 35-year-old Baton Rouge man, was shot and killed on October 21, 2009, when a gunman fired multiple rounds through the window of a Vermillion Drive home where he was sitting on a couch. Prosecutors said the killing was a paid hit ordered by Baton Rouge rapper Torrence “Lil Boosie” Hatch and carried out by 17-year-old Michael “Marlo Mike” Louding. A jury acquitted Hatch of first-degree murder in 2012. Louding was convicted the following year and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The Shooting on Vermillion Drive
Boyd was inside a home in eastern East Baton Rouge Parish on the night of October 21, 2009, when someone opened fire through a window. An autopsy showed he was hit three times. Police recovered six 9 mm shell casings outside the window.1The Advocate. Prosecutor Tells Jurors Louding Killed Boyd in Cowardly Manner A neighbor reported hearing the gunfire and seeing people running along a fence line toward nearby railroad tracks.2WAFB. Testimony Phase of Lil Boosie Trial Gets Under Way Boyd was a lifelong Baton Rouge resident and left behind a daughter, Terrishae.3Legacy.com. Terry Boyd Memorial
The Murder-for-Hire Allegation
The East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office alleged that Hatch paid roughly $2,800 to have Boyd killed.4Rolling Stone. Inside Louisiana Rapper Lil Boosie’s Grisly Murder Trial According to the prosecution’s theory, Hatch learned from a letter sent by Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate Lee Lucas that Boyd, recently released from prison, planned to “jack and slap” him.1The Advocate. Prosecutor Tells Jurors Louding Killed Boyd in Cowardly Manner
Adrian Pittman, who later pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his role, testified that he drove Louding and a third man, Michael “Ghost” Judson, from Hatch’s residence to the Vermillion Drive area on the night of the killing, then picked the two up afterward and drove them back to Hatch’s home.5The Advocate. Baton Rouge Man Who Admitted to Driving Getaway Car in Murder Sentenced to 20 Years
Why Lil Boosie Was Acquitted
Hatch’s first-degree murder trial ran before Judge Michael Erwin at the 19th Judicial District Courthouse in Baton Rouge, with Assistant District Attorney Dana Cummings leading the prosecution.6Rolling Stone. Lil Boosie Found Not Guilty in Murder Trial The state called nearly 30 witnesses over six days.7Billboard. Lil Boosie Found Not Guilty of Murder
The centerpiece of the case was a 2010 jailhouse statement in which Louding admitted the killing and said Hatch had paid him.8WBRZ. Louding Sentenced to Life in Prison7Billboard. Lil Boosie Found Not Guilty of Murder6Rolling Stone. Lil Boosie Found Not Guilty in Murder Trial9Fox 8 Live. Prosecutors May Play Rapper’s Lyrics at Trial
The defense rested without calling a single witness, arguing the state had not met its burden.10WAFB. Defense Rests in Lil Boosie Trial Without Calling Witnesses Williams called the prosecution’s reliance on Louding’s recanted confession a “bluff” and described Louding as a coerced teenager.11WAFB. Lil Boosie Found Not Guilty The defense offered alternative motives: Boyd had recently robbed Judson of $720, and Pittman held a long-standing grudge against Boyd, painting Louding as a “rogue gunman” acting on his own.4Rolling Stone. Inside Louisiana Rapper Lil Boosie’s Grisly Murder Trial A prosecution witness helped the defense: Rochelle Wagner, Boyd’s sister and the mother of Hatch’s daughter, testified that her brother and Hatch “were not friends” but “were not enemies,” and said she knew of no reason Boyd would rob or attack Hatch.
On May 11, 2012, the jury returned a not-guilty verdict after about an hour of deliberation.12Fox 8 Live. Closing Arguments Set in Rapper’s Murder Trial A conviction would have carried a mandatory life sentence. Hatch was already serving eight years at Angola after pleading guilty to conspiring to smuggle drugs into state prisons.13Billboard. Lil Boosie Gets 8 Years in Prison on Drug Charges
The Shooter’s Conviction
Prosecutors kept pursuing Louding. Pittman pleaded guilty to manslaughter in November 2012 in exchange for a 20-year sentence, contingent on truthful testimony; failure would raise the sentence to 40 years.5The Advocate. Baton Rouge Man Who Admitted to Driving Getaway Car in Murder Sentenced to 20 Years Pittman ultimately took the stand and identified Louding as the shooter.14WAFB. Suspected Getaway Driver Gives Surprise Testimony in Marlo Mike Murder Trial Judge Don Johnson sentenced him to the agreed 20 years on May 9, 2013.
A jury convicted Louding of first-degree murder in April 2013 after more than five hours of deliberation. Cummings acknowledged the case’s difficulty and the challenge of getting witnesses to cooperate.15WAFB. Marlo Mike Sentenced to Life in Prison On July 9, 2013, Judge Trudy White sentenced Louding, then 20, to life in prison without parole, calling him a “cold-blooded hit man” who had been “infected” by Hatch and sent on a “murder mission.”8WBRZ. Louding Sentenced to Life in Prison A three-judge appeals panel in Baton Rouge upheld the sentence on June 5, 2015, rejecting Louding’s arguments as “without merit.”16Washington Times. Louding’s Life Sentence Confirmed by Appellate Court
The Other Killings Tied to Louding
Over a 14-month stretch, police linked Louding to six deaths.17New Haven Register. Lawyers Lay Out Lil Boosie Trial Beyond Boyd, he faced first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Baton Rouge rapper Chris “Nussie” Jackson, Darryl “Bleek” Milton, Charles “Nokie” Matthews, and Marcus “Gangsta” Thomas, and a second-degree murder charge in the killing of 19-year-old Michael Smith.18The Advocate. Man Admits to Plotting to Kill Two Men, Gets 20 Years in Prison
Jackson had been shot through a closed window while sitting on a sofa inside a home on America Street in February 2009, a killing prosecutors said grew out of a feud between Jackson and Hatch, with word on the street that Hatch would pay $25,000 to have Jackson killed. Prosecutors said Louding did not yet know Hatch and carried out the shooting to win his admiration and claim the money.19The Advocate. After Murder Case Against Baton Rouge Rapper Boosie Falls Apart, DA Turns to Man With Milton and Matthews were shot to death on April 1, 2010, inside a Cadillac on Monte Sano Avenue; Louding admitted to that double killing in a police interview and named others involved.20WAFB. Testimony Wraps Up in First Murder Trial of Marlo Mike Smith was found shot behind a home on Wisteria Street on December 18, 2009.21WAFB. 7 Men Face Charges in Multiple Shootings
All five of those additional murder charges were eventually dropped. Louding had recanted the police statements and grand jury testimony that implicated himself and co-defendants, and prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to move forward.18The Advocate. Man Admits to Plotting to Kill Two Men, Gets 20 Years in Prison He remains in prison serving life for the Boyd killing.
Where Lil Boosie Stands Now
Hatch was released from prison in March 2014 and returned to his music career under the name Boosie Badazz.22Denver Post. Lil Boosie: Prison Term of the 1,000 Songs In May 2023, San Diego police tracked his vehicle by helicopter after allegedly observing him with a firearm during an Instagram Live broadcast. Officers recovered two loaded 9 mm handguns from his security detail’s vehicle, and DNA evidence confirmed Hatch had handled both weapons.23U.S. Department of Justice. Rapper Torrence Ivy Hatch aka Boosie Badazz Sentenced for Felon in Possession of Firearm Because of his earlier felony drug conviction, federal prosecutors charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He pleaded guilty in August 2025.24WAFB. Boosie Asks for No Prison Time Ahead of Federal Sentencing On January 9, 2026, U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo sentenced Hatch to three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service, and a $50,000 fine, rejecting the two-year prison term federal prosecutors had requested.