On January 12, 2002, 16-year-old Steve Thomas, an aspiring rapper, was killed during a rap battle at the Platinum Club in Harvey, Louisiana. Witnesses say a brawl broke out after Thomas left the stage and bumped into someone in the entourage of rapper Corey Miller, known professionally as C-Murder. During the altercation Thomas was beaten and shot once in the chest and died of that wound.

Corey Miller was arrested January 19, 2002, and charged with second-degree murder. His first conviction in 2003 was overturned; a later trial in 2009 returned a guilty verdict and a life sentence. Over the years key witnesses have recanted, alleging pressure to identify Miller, but appeals have not changed the outcome. A judge ordered Miller to pay $1.4 million to Thomas’s family in 2017.

If anyone at the Platinum Club that night or who knew Steve Thomas has information that hasn’t been shared publicly, please come forward.