Friday 21 May 2010

Slain rapper's lyrics used in shooter's defense in murder trial - latimes.com

Slain rapper's lyrics used in shooter's defense in murder trial - latimes.com: "'You be running when I shoot, I be shooting where you running,' he sang in his debut single released in 2008.

A year later, the rapper, whose real name is Roderick Burton, was shot as he allegedly ran from a gunman inside the Beverly Center's parking garage. He was struck four times, three in the back.

With the murder trial of his admitted shooter wrapping up this week, the work of the 21-year-old musician is center stage as jurors wrestle with two conflicting portraits of Burton: thug or entertainer.


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The defense attorney has drawn, in part, on the rapper's lyrics and Internet videos with alleged gang members to portray Burton as a violent gang member who was attacking his client. But prosecutors argue that Burton's gang ties are irrelevant and that his music was simply entertainment in a culture in which violence sells."

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