Master P's brother, real name Corey Miller, was handed a life sentence in 2003 after he was found guilty of the 2002 killing of 16-year-old Steve Thomas in a New Orleans, Louisiana nightclub.

The conviction for second degree murder was overturned in 2006, only for C-Murder to be convicted again in a second trial in 2009.

He has appealed the ruling on numerous occasions, but his last bid for freedom was shot down in 2013, when judges at the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the guilty verdict.

However, the rapper is refusing to give up hope and his attorney, Rachel Conner, is now arguing her client was denied a fair trial.

In new papers filed on Monday (20Jul15), Conner raises concerns about juror misconduct during deliberations, the competency of one jury member, and the abuse of discretion by the trial judge, Hans Liljeberg, reports The Times-Picayune.

She goes on to claim the two eyewitnesses who pinpointed Miller as the teen's killer had been "threatened by law enforcement, had serious potential criminal charges resolved and had to be arrested under material witness warrants in order to ensure their appearance", while other "credible" witnesses were never even contacted by authorities - including former San Antonio Spurs basketball player Tim Bush.

According to Conner, Bush, who was a high school student at the time, maintains he saw another man wearing a hat get involved in the fight with Thomas and shoot him, but he never spoke to police and was only contacted by the defence team last year (14).

She writes, "Mr. Bush has felt bad about not coming forward given that he knows Corey Miller did not shoot that young man. Given his sports career, he just did not want to get involved."

Conner is seeking to have Miller's life sentence vacated and a new trial set.