Carl Morgan | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Carl MORGAN

Classification: Murderer

Characteristics: Revenge - Jealousy - Producer of the rap group So Solid Crew

Number of victims: 1

Date of murder: November 6, 2004

Date of birth: 1981

Victim profile: Colin Scarlett, 24 (his love rival)

Method of murder: Shooting

Location: Tooting, South London, England, United Kingdom

Status: Sentenced to life imprisonment (minimum 30 years) on October 28, 2005

Carl Morgan, born 1981, is a former producer of the rap group So Solid Crew. In October 2005 he was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a love rival.

He was tried before a jury for the shooting of Colin Scarlett in Tooting, south London, in 2004.

Scarlett, the partner of Morgan's ex-girlfriend, had beaten Morgan up earlier on the day of the murder. Morgan then returned with a gun to claim his retribution.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on the same charge faced by So Solid Crew rapper Megaman, real name Dwayne Vincent, who faced a retrial in March 2006 where the jury was discharged before a verdict could be reached. A second retrial began in September 2006, and on 28th September Megaman was found not guilty of murder at the Old Bailey.

Morgan's trial judge recommended that he should spend at least 30 years in prison before being considered for parole, a recommendation which is expected to keep him behind bars until at least 2034 and the age of 53.

Morgan appeared in the band's video for the track 21 Seconds and Cry.

Wikipedia.org

So Solid member jailed for murder

A member of London rap collective So Solid Crew has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his former girlfriend’s new partner.

28 October 2005 - 4NI.co.uk

Carl Morgan, 24, from Battersea, south London, was told that he must serve at least 30 years for the murder of Colin Scarlett in Tooting, south London last November.

However, Morgan’s co-defendant, Dwayne Vincent – another member of So Solid Crew, known as Megaman – will face a retrial next March, after the jury failed to reach a verdict on the same charge.

The court heard how Morgan – a producer and junior member of the rap group – had been beaten up by Mr Scarlett on November 6 and had then gone looking for him later that day, in order to take ‘revenge’.

Morgan shot Mr Scarlett three times outside his home in south London.

Morgan, who had denied murdering Mr Scarlett, was found guilty of the murder earlier this month, but sentencing was adjourned until Friday, October 28.

Sentencing Morgan today, Judge Brian Barker said that gun crime was “the scourge of our streets”. He said: “The message must be all one way – that it will not be tolerated.”

It had been alleged that Mr Vincent, 26, from Barons Court, west London, had encouraged Morgan to shoot Mr Scarlett – a charge, which he denied.

The jury failed to reach a verdict in the trial of Mr Vincent – who also denies murder – and a retrial is due to take place on March 20 next year.

So Solid member guilty of 'Wild West' murder

Times Online

October 28, 2005

A member of a London rap group was jailed for life at the Old Bailey today for shooting his love rival in a revenge attack.

Carl Morgan, 24, a junior member of So Solid Crew, was convicted of shooting Colin Scarlett three times outside his home in South London in November. The judge ordered him to serve a minimum of 30 years.

But the jury was unable to agree a verdict on his co-defendant - Megaman, the founder of So Solid Crew - and a retrial will be held on March 20 next year.

Megaman, 26, appearing under his real name Dwayne Vincent, from Barons Court, West London, and Morgan, 24, from Battersea, South London, denied murdering Mr Scarlett.

The shooting resulted from a domestic love feud that spiralled within hours into an armed confrontation over perceived "disrespect", the court had heard.

On November 6, Morgan had received a humiliating beating at the hands of Scarlett, his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, and he was seeking retribution.

Morgan confronted him later that day in Tooting, South London. He shot Scarlett, 24, three times in the chest, neck and hand in a street confrontation that was "more reminiscent of the Wild West".

During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Vincent had decided to make Morgan’s fight his own, as he regarded himself as "something of a leader" after achieving celebrity status. Richard Horwell, prosecuting, said that Vincent told Morgan to "burst him".

Morgan was a producer and a junior member of the collective. He had appeared on the No 1 video, 21 Seconds.

During the trial Megaman emphatically denied that he had urged his friend to shoot 24-year-old Mr Scarlett. He said he had been on his way with Morgan to a studio when Morgan directed him to Scarlett’s address.

The Common Serjeant of London, Judge Brian Barker, ordered that Morgan should serve a minimum of 30 years before he can be considered for parole.

The judge told the producer: "Gun use is the scourge of our streets and causes misery and distress. The message must be all one way - that it will not be tolerated."

He said that although Scarlett’s family "will get used to his death, they will never get over the untold misery caused".

Morgan had left the scene as speedily as possible. "You expected eye witnesses would be cowed into silence and that ploy very nearly succeeded."

Much of the evidence given at the Old Bailey in London concentrated on the lyrics of Vincent's songs, and whether they were testament to his ability to commit such a crime.

Detective Constable Jeff Brown told the court that he had spent hours listening to them after Vincent claimed to be against firearms. The words, he said, showed the opposite, glorifying street shootings. Speakers were set up in court so the jury could listen for themselves.

On one track Vincent intoned: "It's so easy to pull out a gat. Rat-a-tat-tat. Lay three niggas on their back."

Giving evidence, Vincent sang the chorus of Ghetto Anthem to the judge and jury, to disprove claims that his troupe glorified gun violence, the lyrics of which are: "The east side's fighting the west side. It's about time that we flip the script, let's stick together, all turn legit."

Explaining what could be perceived to be aggressive lyrics, he said: "I don't have 'gold-diggers who pop shots at cops'. I've never been in a situation where I've been shot at or held a gun.

"I'm speaking about firearms but I'm using it as a metaphor. I'm saying I'm hitting them with a lot of hits in the music industry."

Megaman said he felt there had been a conspiracy against him. Asked by his counsel, George Carter-Stevenson QC, whether he had said anything to encourage Morgan to do anything, Vincent replied: "Not at all."

He told the jury: "To say I would encourage a friend to shoot someone is ridiculous. When Colin was in hospital and had not died no-one said anything like that. It is as soon as he died they started to conspire and say I had encouraged the shooting."

So Solid Crew is a collective of 20 or so south London DJs, MCs, singers and producers, known by such names as Oxide and Neutrino. The group topped the charts in 2001 with 21 Seconds and won in the best video category in the Brit Awards the following year.