On Memorial Day, May 25, 2015, the lives of two brothers were tragically cut short in New Orleans. Eighteen-year-old Kendred Bishop and his 22-year-old brother, Kendrick Bishop, were discovered shot to death inside a black Kia sedan in the 4800 block of Bright Drive in the eastern part of the city. The brothers, both male, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Kendrick was an aspiring rapper known as MuddyCupBuddy.
The investigation into the double homicide soon focused on a suspect from the local music scene. New Orleans police identified rapper Widner 'Flow' Degruy, who was signed to Lil Wayne's Young Money record label, as a person of interest. Surveillance video reportedly captured Degruy and another individual possibly fleeing the scene of the crime and making a purchase at a nearby store. Despite an online show of sympathy for Kendrick Bishop after his death, authorities secured an arrest warrant for Degruy on two counts of second-degree murder.
Prosecutors asserted that the motive for the killings was retaliation. Degruy allegedly accused the Bishop brothers of stealing $8,000 and two firearms from his girlfriend's car a week before their deaths. A key piece of evidence that led investigators to Degruy was his cell phone, which was found at the crime scene. An officer's body camera even recorded Degruy at the scene, behind the crime tape, yelling, 'Sir, that's my phone right there.'
In a significant development, Degruy's co-defendant, Jonathan Evans, cooperated with authorities and testified against him in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence. Evans' testimony, along with that of Degruy's own mother, helped to solidify the case against the rapper. In April 2019, Widner Degruy was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder. The following month, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for each murder charge, in addition to sentences for obstruction of justice.
