They say that the charm and glitz of glamour and money can make you do anything. That is acceptable but only if it gives you the passion to realize your dreams and make you pine for more. But what happens when this glittering shimmer completely blinds you from reality? The reference here is of celebrities. Yes, they have what it takes to reach the top and live the grand life. Some of them have struggled to reach the position where they are now while some have had sheer luck on their sides. But the big question is what makes them so blinded to reality that they forget to distinguish between right and wrong. Is it the sheer power that comes with their popularity? Or is it the arrogance and vanity that follows? What makes these worshiped celebrities turn into criminals? May be they are no different than the rest of us. Or it might be the advantage of impunity they think they possess. Whatever the reason, punishment is the same and sooner or later, law will get them because law makes no discrimination.
Take a look at top 10 celebrities that have criminal cased impending against them:
1. O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson is a retired football player and an actor; he was also elected for Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. He was charged with death of Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman. Brown was ex wife of Simpson and was stabbed to death and the evidence pointed towards Simpson. This case claimed headlines for almost 1 year and yet he was not pronounced guilty for quite a while. Later a civil court found him guilty for their wrongful death. later in 2006, he wrote a hypothetical book explaining how the killing could have occurred.
2. Robert Blake
Robert Blake is an American actor. He started his career as a child actor and has starred in films like “In Cold Blood”. He married Christian Brando, who had a history of exploiting old men for money. On April, 2002 he was arrested for connection with murder of his wife, the evidence were some stuntmen who told cops that he hired them to kill his wife. This happened when the couple went out for dinner, after leaving, Blake went back to fetch his gun which he left on the table and when returned found his wife dead in the car. He was found guilty and was ordered to pay 30 million dollar to her children.
3. Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey “Phil” Spector is a legendary record producer and has backed many legendary music bands like Beatles, the Ramones and Lke and Tina. In year 2009 he was convicted for murder of actress Lama Clarkson in his California mansion by shooting her. Her body was found slumped in a chair with a gunshot in her mouth that caused her death. However Spector claimed that she was kissing the gun and it was an accidental suicide, but numerous people have claimed that Spector have held them at gunpoint. The emergency call was made by Spector’s driver and he told police that Spector came out of the back door with a gun in hand and was saying that he has killed someone this case was investigated and Spector was sentenced to serve 19 years in prison.
4. Sid Vicious
John Simon Ritchie known as Sid Vicious was an English musician and bassist of rock band Sex Pistols. His girlfriend and manager Nancy Spungen was found dead on October 12, 1978 in their hotel room in Ney York. Vicious told that police that he awoke from a drugged stupor and found Nancy dead with a single stab wound on her abdomen. The knife used was of Vicious himself but he said that they had argument that night but he wound never stab her, he later claimed that he did not remember anything about that night. He later died due to overdose of heroin which her mother gave him intentionally to save him from the horror of returning to jail.
5. Paul Kelly
Paul Michael Kelly was born on August 9, 1899 and at age of 7 he started as a child actor; he won Tony Award for his role in film “Command Decision”. He served 25 months in prison for killing the actor Ray Raymond, who was involved with him in a fistfight. Kelly ended up beating him to death and later married his widow Dorothy Mackaye, she was also briefly imprisoned for being an accomplice in the killing. He died of a heart attack while he was 57 in November 1956.
6. Don King
Donald “Don” King born on August 31, 1931 is an American boxing promoter, and has promoted big names in boxing like Mohammad Ali, Mike Tyson and George Foreman. After dropping out of his university he was charged for running an illegal bookmaking and for killing two men, he shot Hilary Brown in the back and killed him while he was robbing King’s gambling house. Again in 1966 he was charged for killing his employee Sam Garrett who owed him 600$ and served 4 years in prison. He was also investigated for his connections with mobster John Gotti. Many of his boxers also sued him for cheating. Mike Tyson said that his former manager King is very bad man; he can sell his mother for a dollar.
7. Gig Young
Gig Young was an American actor; he played supporting actors and second lead roles usually. He was popular for his performance as a slimy dance-marathon in the film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They. He has been married 5 times, his last marriage was when he was 64 he married 31 year old German actress Kim Schmidt. This marriage only worked for three weeks as the couple was found dead in their Manhattan house. The police suspected that Young first shot his wife and then killed himself however no motive for his action was ever made clear.
8. C-Murder
Corey Miller an American rapper and actor and is a part of famous rap group TRU and super group 524 Boyz is serving life in prison for murder. He was convicted for the beating and shooting his fan Steve Thomas at Louisiana nightclub. He was under house arrest until boy’s father on August 2009 appealed to reopen the case with eye witness of the case, he also claimed C-Murder for threatening other witnesses of the case. C-Murder was sentenced on August 14 for life imprisonment.
9. Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle
Roscoe Conkling “Fatty” Arbuckle was a silent film actor and most popular star during 1910s and became highest paid actor of Hollywood of that time. On September 5, 1921 Roscoe invited some of his friends for a party at St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco which included a 26 year old actress Virgina Rappe who later died and doctors told the police that Roscoe raped her with a Coca-cola or champagne bottle that caused her bladder ruptured resulting in her death. This incident had a very bad effect on Roscoe’s career as all his films were banned and he was publicly ostracized. He was proven innocent after the third trail but his career never recovered from the incident and he later died at the age of 46 due to heart attack.
10. Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. commonly known as Snoop Dogg is an American rapper and actor. His music career started in year 1992 with album Diggystyle which became number 1 on Billboard 200. Snoop was on criminal record after completing his graduation as he was in and out of jail many times for possession of cocaine for 3 years. August 1993, Snoop was arrested and put on for trial due to his connection with the death of a rival gang member Philip Woldemariam who was actually shot and as a result killed by his bodyguard. Snoop was charged with murder as he was driving the vehicle from which shooting occurred, both of them were acquitted as Lee shot him for self deface but Snoop was entangled in legal battles for 3 years and later was proven guilty.
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