2 face murder charges in death of rapper’s aide

June 21, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

CINCINNATI — Two brothers have been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of an assistant to rapper T.I. at a party after a Cincinnati performance in 2006.

Hosea Thomas, 34, and Padron Thomas, 40, were charged Thursday in the death of 26-year-old Philant Johnson and the wounding of three others in the rapper’s entourage. Grammy Award winner Clifford Harris, who uses the stage name T.I., was in Cincinnati on May 3, 2006, to perform.

Detective Tim Gormly said gunfire erupted after the brothers tried to get into Harris’ VIP area at an after-hours club.

Harris pleaded guilty in March to federal weapons charges and was sentenced in Atlanta to a year in prison, three years of supervised home detention, 1,500 hours of community service and a $100,000 fine.

Naomi Campbell pleads guilty in airport assault

LONDON — Naomi Campbell pleaded guilty Friday to assaulting two police officers during an “air rage” incident at Heathrow Airport. She has not been sentenced yet. The model, known for her tempestuous behavior and frequent confrontations with her staff, faces substantial fines and up to six months in jail if the harshest sentence is imposed at Uxbridge Magistrates Court.

Prosecutor Melanie Parrish told the court that Campbell had taken a first class seat on a British Airways flight from London to Los Angeles and was told one of her bags, along with other passengers’ luggage, hadn’t been loaded onto the plane.

She said the captain came out to explain the situation to Campbell, but that she became abusive and refused to listen, instead using her mobile phone to ask an aide for help.

Parrish said Campbell used obscenities on the phone, then demanded another flight. She then attacked the police who handcuffed her and removed her from the jet, Parrish said.

Campbell, 38, arrived in court Friday morning in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes and was immediately swarmed by paparazzi. She did not make a statement to the court beyond confirming her name and her address, and her lawyer entered a guilty plea.

Boxer donates $3.5M

LOS ANGELES — Oscar De La Hoya has donated $3.5 million toward helping underprivileged students. The world champion boxer and Olympic gold medalist presented the donation Thursday to the De La Hoya Animo Charter High School at the school’s second annual graduation ceremony.

The money will fund new facilities on campus and help develop other public charter schools in LA.

De La Hoya started a foundation in 1995 to help poor families in East Los Angeles.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Bernie Kopell (“The Love Boat”) is 75. Actress Mariette Hartley is 68. Musician Ray Davies of The Kinks is 64. Actress Meredith Baxter (“Family Ties”) is 61. Actor Michael Gross (“Family Ties”) is 61. Cartoonist Berke Breathed (“Opus,” “Bloom County,”) is 51. Country singer Kathy Mattea is 49. Actor Doug Savant (“Desperate Housewives,” “Melrose Place”) is 44. Musician Porter Howell of Little Texas is 44. Country singer Allison Moorer is 36. Actress Juliette Lewis is 35. Guitarist Mike Einziger of Incubus is 32. Singer Brandon Flowers of The Killers is 27.