From behind bars on gun charges, Mason ordered the 1988 murder of a police officer, Edward Byrne, which led to increased law enforcement attention and Mason's eventual arrest and conviction on various charges. A month after the killing, Mason was sentenced to seven years in prison on gun charges. The federal government continued to investigate Mason for the Byrne killing. On December 11, 1989, Mason was convicted on federal charges including the murder of Officer Byrne. After four years of legal wrangling, including questions of Mason's mental competency, he was given a life sentence in 1994. Mason began serving his life sentence at ADX Florence supermax facility, in Florence, Colorado and was subsequently transferred to USP Allenwood. In 1990, Mason's mother was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking. She was released in 1998.
Popular culture
;Music Mason was referenced by rapper Nas in several albums, including:
His debut albumIllmatic. In the single "The World Is Yours", Nas rhymes: "The mind activation, react like I'm facing time like 'Pappy' Mason with pens I'm embracing."
In his album God's Son. In the single "Get Down", Nas rhymes: "New York streets where killers'll walk like Pistol Pete And 'Pappy' Mason, gave the young boys admiration."
In his album Street's Disciple, in the single, "Just A Moment".
Mason is mentioned by rapper 50 Cent in multiple songs:
Mason, as well as Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, are referenced directly in 50 Cent's "Ghetto Qu'ran ", which leaked in 2000 from his unreleased Columbia Records debut album Power of the Dollar, in the lyric: "I used to idolize cat Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols, Hurt me in my heart to hear that nigga snitched on Pap, how he go out like that?"
Mason is referenced in Jay-Z & R. Kelly's Best of Both Worlds Album, on track 1: " The combination of Pappy Mason and Larry Davis, Martin and Malcolm this is bigger than the Album." He is mentioned in a single "Bomba" by the Serbian rapper Struka, who rhymes: "If hip-hop was horror movie I would be Jason, legend in hood like in Queens Pappy Mason". He is mentioned by Booba, a French rapper living in Miami, in the song "Call of bitume" featuring Rim-K, another French rapper. "RG are stalking me anywhere I am from Miami to Corbeil-Essonnes, no more surprised, I'm determinated like Pappy Mason". On October 19, 2012, XV released his anticipated mixtape Squarians Vol. 1. On the song "A Situation", Mason is also mentioned: "I'm in the lane with a dime that I'm penetrating, and her cat is real fat, yeah, Pappy Mason." He is referenced by Kendrick Lamar in his 2013 BET Cypher verse. ;Television In the Luke Cage episode "Manifest", Shades mentions that Mason and former Mayor David Dinkins were acquaintances of "Momma" Mabel Stokes'.
