A year after a fatal shooting at Irving Plaza, Brooklyn-based hip-hop media personality Taxstone is facing charges for murder. Today he pled not guilty to murder charges in the shooting death of 33-year-old Ronald “Banga” McPhatter. The indictment comes a month after Taxstone pled guilty to federal illegal weapon charges after his DNA was found on the gun that fired the fatal shot during the May 2016 conflict between him, McPhatter, and Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave – who he’s had an ongoing beef with.
The murder indictment answers the general public’s lingering question of who would be charged with Banga’s death. Taxstone was taken in by the federal government in January, and Troy Ave is out on bail for multiple weapon possession and attempted murder charges after being seen on Irving Plaza surveillance cameras firing a gun during the altercation.
In April, then-US Attorney Preet Bharara released a statement noting that the government believes they have a witness that would “further establish” that the Tax Season podcaster fired the shot that murdered McPhatter. Today’s indictment, following a guilty plea on the murder weapon, reaffirms that statement.
Julissa Bonita, a blogger close to Taxstone who first announced the indictment, claims that Troy Ave is a witness, but there is no further information to currently substantiate that claim. Her post has controversial language, but you can read it below:
