Alabama man sentenced to prison over deadly shooting after Georgia rap concert

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Morgan Baker (Houston County District Attorney)

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. - An Alabama man will spend over a decade in prison in connection with the killing of a security guard outside a Warner Robins nightclub in 2019.

Morgan Baker had agreed to a negotiated guilty plea of voluntary manslaughter before his re-trial was set to go to court.

The backstory:

Officials say the deadly shooting happened around 2 a.m. on July 6, 2019, at what was once Club Boss on North Davis Drive.

On that night, Alabama rapper NoCap was performing at the nightclub. Baker worked for the rapper.

After the performance, officials say Baker and an unidentified person got into a fight with security. According to prosecutors, Baker and the other person went to a Sprinter van nearby, took out firearms, and fired them toward the entrance of the club.

One of the bullets hit security Tamarco Head, killing him.

Dig deeper:

Baker had been tried for the case in 2022, was found guilty of malice murder, and was sentenced to life in prison. However, the Georgia Supreme Court overturned the conviction last year due to certain evidence shown in court. 

During the trial, the prosecutors showed the jury a 33-second clip from the rap video for the song "Ghetto Angels" that showed Baker holding a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine.

A majority of the Supreme Court judges said that the video wasn't relevant to the shooting and may have influenced the jury.

What they're saying:

After his plea deal, a Houston Superior Court judge sentenced Baker to 20 years in prison with 15 to serve. 

"This case is a stark reminder of the unjustifiable violence that too often follows disputes in nightlife settings. Morgan Baker escalated a minor altercation into deadly gunfire, costing Tarmarco Head his life and devastating his loved ones," Houston County District Attorney Eric Z. Edwards said. "While the Georgia Supreme Court overturned Baker’s original conviction on evidentiary grounds, the facts of this case remained clear: he played a direct role in an act of senseless violence that led to a man’s death."