It’s a story we know well by now. Rapper G Dep wanted to get something off his chest last month, walks into an NYC precinct to confess a botched robbery over 10 years ago where he thought he’d just wounded a man by shooting at him, finds out he actually killed the guy…now he’s facing life. Yesterday he appeared in court and entered a plea of not guilty. Hit the jump for info.
A once-successful Manhattan rapper pleaded not guilty Thursday to fatally shooting a man 17 years ago, just weeks after he voluntarily turned himself in to authorities to admit his role in the shooting.
The plea in Manhattan Supreme Court came after the rapper, G. Dep, walked into a police precinct last month to clear his conscience by admitting to shooting a man in East Harlem. After the rapper, whose real name is Trevell Coleman, went to admit his role in the shooting, authorities told him that the victim, John Henkel, had died as a result of the incident.
The 36-year-old Mr. Coleman, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on a second-degree murder charge. A grand jury also indicted him on manslaughter and criminal use of a firearm charges.
Mr. Coleman, his hands cuffed behind his back, didn’t speak at the arraignment other than to enter his plea. He smiled at the dozen or so supporters he had in the courtroom as he walked in.
After the hearing, his lawyer, Anthony Ricco, said Mr. Coleman still stands by his earlier story that he shot Mr. Henkel Oct. 19, 1993. Mr. Ricco said the not-guilty plea was more of a procedural step, adding that it would allow him time to examine Mr. Coleman’s confession, which he said was likely made while under the influence of drugs.
“We want to make sure what we’re dealing with the reality of what actually happened that night,” he said, explaining that Mr. Coleman has struggled with PCP use over the years. Mr. Ricco said he expects to reach a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.
Mr. Coleman, who has a wife and three children, reached the height of his music career in the early 2000s, when he was a part of Bad Boy Entertainment, a label owned by Sean Combs, then known as Puff Daddy. One of his best-known tracks, “Let’s Get It,” was a performance with Mr. Combs that popularized a dance known as the Harlem Shake.
Mr. Coleman is no longer affiliated with the label. He’s currently being held without bail.
Asked what prompted Mr. Coleman to come forward, Mr. Ricco said his client “had been haunted by this.” Mr. Ricco said his client’s decision might have been prompted by his drug-abuse program. Such programs are known to push participants to make amends.
Mr. Ricco, who said the case “would’ve stayed cold forever” had his client not come forward, commended Mr. Coleman. “Some will call what he did stupid, but I think he’s doing it to get things right between himself and God,” he said. Mr. Coleman is due back in court Feb. 10.
