Kidd Creole: US rapper jailed for 16 years for killing homeless man

Rapper’s lawyers had argued that he lashed out at John Jolly in self-defense

Rapper Arrested Sentencing

US rapper Kidd Creole has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for stabbing a homeless man named John Jolly to death in the streets of New York City.

The 62-year-old rapper, whose real name is Nathaniel Glover, was found guilty of manslaughter last month after stabbing Jolly in the chest with a steak knife in midtown Manhattan, in August 2017.

Prosecutors accused Creole of stabbing Jolly after becoming enraged because he thought Jolly was gay and was hitting on him.

The court heard that Creole headed to his workplace nearby, changed his clothes, and washed the knife after committing the crime, before being arrested the next day.

Creole pleaded not guilty and it was argued by his lawyers that he had lashed out at the homeless man in self-defense.

“Mr Jolly’s death was devastating to his family and those who knew him,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

“Every life we lose to violent crime ripples throughout our entire city, and we will continue to ensure everyone in our borough can live their lives with the sense of safety and security they deserve.”

In addition to the 16-year sentence, Creole will also face five years of post-release supervision. He had originally faced a maximum of 25 years in prison.

“I’m very disappointed in the way that that this whole situation played out,” Creole said after learning of his sentence. “I’ve been portrayed as a callous and senseless [killer]…which is far from the person who I am.

“I’ve been slandered and all this made me seem as if I am a person who actually has no remorse and no repentance.”

Creole is a former American rapper who is regarded as one of the pioneers of old-school hip-hop, as a member of the group Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five with his brother Melle Mel.

Additional reporting by AP