Feds charge Flint rapper in Sterling Heights murder-for-hire plot

Dozens of text messages discussing plans were found as well as their location time of shooting

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – The shooting, which nearly killed a young woman (seen in the video player above), was captured on camera in Sterling Heights.

Now the feds are calling it a murder-for-hire plot with a well-known rap artist behind it.

The chaotic scene unfolded more than a year and a half ago, but on Thursday (Aug. 25), federal prosecutors brought charges based partly on evidence from two cell phones.

The video is shocking, and the act is horrific as a young woman seen in the video player above is fleeing in her SUV in Sterling Heights in November of 2020.

The feds say lying in wait was Andre Sims, who they say agreed to be paid cash to murder the woman.

The victim’s mother can be heard and seen screaming in the video player above as the murder-for-hire nearly killed her daughter.

The daughter somehow survived the attack, but who was behind the plot?

Read: Officials break down how group plotted to kill Sterling Heights woman in failed murder-for-hire

Federal prosecutors charged Clifton Terry III, as seen in the video player above. But as you can see, he’s a rap artist out of Flint, well known as Cliff Mac.

Terry and Sims’s cell phones laid out the entire case for prosecutors as dozens of text messages discussing the plan were found and their location at the time of the shooting.

Their phone even laid out text messages that spelled out the payment as Terry texts that he would send $2,500 for Sims attempted murder.

Sims texting back: “Yea that’s str8 bro.”

Terry is in state custody, officials say. He will be brought into federal custody in the coming days.


About the Authors:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.