A Crown Heights man is headed to prison for 23 years to life after a Brooklyn judge sentenced him Thursday for the 2020 killing of rising local rapper Nick Blixky. Caliph Glean, 33, was convicted in December 2025 of murder and criminal possession of a weapon for the fatal shooting on May 10, 2020, in Prospect Lefferts Gardens that left 21-year-old Nickalus “Blixky” Thompson dying at Kings County Hospital.
Prosecutors' account and sentence
In court, prosecutors said Glean walked up to Thompson on a Brooklyn street, greeted him with a handshake and then suddenly opened fire. Thompson was hit five times, with two bullets tearing through his heart and lungs, injuries that proved fatal. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office secured the convictions in December 2025, and Glean received a sentence of 23 years to life, according to News 12 Brooklyn. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez described it as “a calculated killing carried out on a Brooklyn street,” the outlet reported.
Arrest and evidence
Authorities tracked Glean to Philadelphia, where he was arrested in June 2020 after investigators pulled together surveillance footage, witness statements and other evidence placing him at the scene. He initially faced ammunition charges in federal court. At the time, coverage noted that investigators cited matching shell casings and other identifying details as key pieces in tying him to the shooting, reporting that those elements helped lead to his arrest and, eventually, a Brooklyn trial, as reported by HotNewHipHop. Prosecutors said Glean tried to hide his identity after the shooting before investigators closed in.
Who Thompson was
Thompson, better known as Nick Blixky, was 21 years old when he was shot on Winthrop Street near Rogers Avenue, then rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to CBS New York. He had been gaining momentum in the Brooklyn drill scene and was preparing to drop his first mixtape, "Different Timin," the following month, local coverage noted, including reporting by Brooklyn Paper.
What comes next
With sentencing complete, the criminal case is largely wrapped, at least for now, in a killing that rattled both neighbors and the local music community. Any post-trial motions or appeals from the defense will move through the courts in the coming weeks. The District Attorney’s office has framed the outcome as part of its broader push to prosecute street gun violence in Brooklyn, while Thompson’s family and fans are left to focus on the career he was building before it was cut short.
