Two Plead Guilty To Murder Of Wiz Khalifa’s Uncle, Imani Porter

Wiz Khalifa may finally have closure over the death of his uncle Imani Porter. Two men have pleaded guilty to Porter’s murder in January 2014.

The two men, 21-year-old Michael Wolford and 19-year-old Jaron Young, pleaded down to third-degree murder and robbery related charges. Wolford, who pulled the trigger on the gun that killed Wiz Khalifa’s uncle, was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. Young received 12-and-a-half to 25 years.

In addition to Wolford and Young, a third man, Paul Sanders, was also sentenced for the death of Khalifa’s uncle. Sanders was arrested for Wiz Khalifa’s uncle’s murder back in May, but the prosecution later dropped all homicide-related charges. He still received nine to 18 months for felony-related heroin charges.

The murder of Wiz’s uncle occurred outside a Steak and Shake restaurant alongside the Pittsburgh Waterfront and was over a heroin deal that went wrong. Khalifa’s uncle, who pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a controlled substance back in 2011, left the restaurant after placing an order. He then entered a Chevrolet Impala along with Wolford and Young with the apparent intention of selling heroin.

Instead, the heroin deal became a robbery. Young pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Wiz Khalifa’s uncle’s head, who handed over the heroin without resisting. Wolford then shot Porter once in the back of the head, and the two of them fled the crime scene. Porter, Khalifa’s uncle, died shortly afterwards at a nearby hospital.

Young was arrested the next day. About two weeks later, Wolford and Sanders were also arrested. When Sanders talked with reporters after the arrest, he expressed regret for everything that had happened.

While Porter was Khalifa’s uncle, he was actually eight years younger than the famous rapper. Wiz Khalifa expressed his sadness about his uncle’s death on Twitter, calling Porter “more level headed than all of us.”

Porter’s friend Rose Price also decried the idea that Porter was killed in a drug deal, noting how he helped children at the local YMCA.

There were concerns about Young’s role in the crime as he was 17-years-old when the crime was committed. Even though Young had no criminal record before the shooting, he was tried as an adult. The alternative would have been for Young to be tried as a juvenile, where he would have been released at the age of 21 should he have been found guilty. Even though Young did not pull the trigger, he did threaten Porter with his gun.

[Photo by Stephen Lovekin/ Getty Images]