A Granite City woman known as the “Rappin’ Grandma,” who had almost nothing, opened her heart and home to destitute people – and it might have cost her her life.
The Belleville News-Democrat reported Friday morning that police plan to charge a 41-year-old Granite City man with murder in connection with the beating death of 60-year-old Carol Newby.
Along with her church hip-hop performances, Newby was known for giving food and shelter to poor Granite City residents and transients.
She was found Wednesday afternoon in her home in the 2100 block of Delmar.
The suspect is in the Menard Correctional Center in Chester. The suspect was on parole for an armed robbery that occurred in Chicago in 1999, according to Granite City police.
Newby wrote gospel rap songs and sometimes performed in local churches as the “Rappin’ Grandma.”
“I had to get on her case about that a few times (about the people she allowed to stay in her home),” Julian Wallace, Newby’s former landlord and next-door neighbor told the News Democrat.