Chinx murder suspect sentenced to 23 years in prison for rapper's shooting

QUEENS - Quincy Homere, who pled guilty to the 2015 Queens murder of rapper Chinx (Lionel Pickens Jr.), was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the killing in a Queens court on Monday.

According to sources close to the investigation, the alleged shooter – also known as "Q" or "Qwality" – was envious of Chinx.

Pickens' widow, Janelli Caceres, spoke with FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers last month in an exclusive interview.

"It was pretty emotional. I literally cried the whole time sitting there, actually staring at him, because there's so many different thoughts and words are running through your head, and you know you have to keep your composure," Caceres told Evers. 

Rapper Lionel "Chinx Drugz" Pickens performs at the Fader Fort at SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 16, 2013. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

The mother of three has been working with NYPD detectives for years to help them find the suspected killers. 

Pickens says that she's grateful to the NYPD, the Queens DA and friends and fans for keeping his memory and his music legacy alive.

"A lot of sadness, a lot of hurt, a lot of anger. The DA sat with me most of the time until it was time for him to present, but I was there by myself, so it was a lot," Caceres said.

"Quincy Homere was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for killing Lionel Pickens Jr., a successful rapper, husband and father who was mercilessly gunned down in 2015," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. "Homere fired numerous rounds into Pickens’ car while he was stopped at a red light in Briarwood and then fled, leaving the young man for dead. Nothing can undo what happened, but I hope today’s sentence brings some solace to Pickens’ loved ones as they continue to grieve."

What happened to Chinx the rapper? 

Lionel Pickens Jr. was murdered behind the wheel of his luxury car in Queens after performing at a Brooklyn nightclub in May 2015. 

He was signed to French Montana's record label and had a hit record in rotation on hip hop radio mainstay HOT 97.  

While rapping, he was also a family man, raising 2 girls and a boy with his wife, Janelli Caceres-Pickens. His career was going so well at the time they had begun looking at houses to buy for their family.

"We definitely believe it should have been at least a murder two charge, but unfortunately, with the odds that were against us, and the laws of the state of New York, it made it very hard to pursue that," Caceres said.