Jury Acquits Rap Singer of 1 Charge, Deadlocks on Another

After a three week trial, a Long Beach jury acquitted Death Row Records singer Nate Dogg (Nathaniel Hale) on one count of armed robbery Friday and were hung 9-3 on a second armed robbery count.

“The defendant testified and he maintained his innocence,” said David Chesnoff, a Las Vegas attorney who with Los Angeles lawyer Marcia Morrisey represented the singer, a featured vocalist on best-selling albums by Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg.

Both defense lawyers alleged that the police had withheld critical information from them. They said that because the jury had voted 9-3 for acquittal on the second count, they hoped that the district attorney’s office would not seek to retry their client.