A 19-year-old Florida rapper who shot a man in the back and then made a song about it has been arrested for murder. La’Darion Chandler, identified by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to the shooting of John McGee.
“He’s not much of a rapper. My rapper expert says he doesn’t sing well. He doesn’t move well. He’s just a terrible rapper, But, he’s a stupid rapper. He not only makes a rap video about shooting somebody, but he also admits to shooting the guy in the back. ‘I’m a coward rapper, that’s what I am. If you don’t believe me, watch me shoot the guy in the back.’”
The crime
The shooting happened in December of last year and took place at a home in Lakeland, according to the sheriff’s office. After a warrant was served for the murder, detectives found a rap video of Chandler talking about shooting a person in the back and he gave details that investigators had not been able to get from McGee’s family or witnesses at the crime scene.
“Ni**a tried to run
I hit his back
Though I shoot like a mac
Dirt ass dead ni**as knowing where to find me at”
Chandler had a criminal history and had seven felony arrests, including fleeing to elude, grand theft and vehicle burglary as a juvenile. He was also on probation for a crime and was still serving a sentence when he allegedly shot McGee, Judd said.
Rappers are just getting dumber and dumber
Detectives searched Chandler’s apartment, where they found ammunition and a gun. They seized the weapon from him and then they arrested him, sheriff’s department said.
At the news conference Thursday morning, sheriff’s office officials showed part of the rap video that Chandler made and they also said he had a firearm. The sheriff says the rap video is proof that Chandler killed McGee and that he did it in order to get his revenge against an opposing gang.
In many of the cases I examined, prosecutors used music or lyrics to support their cases. Some prosecutors argued that rap lyrics were evidence of confession or that defendants had a motive for killing. Others argued that rap lyrics were evidence that a defendant was part of a gang or that they had access to a weapon.
He incriminated himself
Most of the cases I examined involved defendants who had a record or social media account that contained profane or gruesome material. Generally, courts treated music and literature as artistic works that were protected by the First Amendment.
While rap is rarely the only evidence in a case, it often played an important role. Courts had a tough time distinguishing between the words on a rap song and the actions of the defendant. In one case, I reviewed, an 18-year-old rapper was on trial for murder and prosecutors argued that the lyrics in his song “I’m Out Here” referred to the victim.
The judge asked the jury to listen again and again to the lyrics of the song. Eventually, jurors were convinced that the song referred to the murdered man.
The song passed as evidence
After listening to the song twice, the jury voted to find that the rapper had confessed and committed a crime. The rapper pleaded guilty and was sent to prison for two years.
But he had a chance to escape if the prosecution could prove that he was responsible for the death of the man in his song. That’s a difficult situation to find yourself in.
This story is not the first time a rapper got arrested for murder after making a rap song about it. In August, Tarrant County jury found rapper Tay-K guilty of murder and robbery. This time, the rap video that was filmed while he was fleeing police is being entered as evidence in his sentencing.
