On Saturday, September 23, the French rapper Mohamed Sylla, popularly known as MHD, was sentenced to 12 years in jail in a 2018 case. A 23-year-old man named Loic K was killed in a gang fight involving rapper MHD and several others in Paris on that fateful day.
MHD’s Mercedes knocked down the 23-year-old victim, who was subsequently assaulted and stabbed to death by a mob comprising around twelve people on July 5th, 2018, in the 10th arrondissement (administrative district) of Paris.
Five of MHD’s co-defendants were also sentenced to prison for the murder, receiving sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years for what authorities described as a fight pertaining to “gang rivalry”. While three others were acquitted, all those convicted had pleaded not guilty. The convicts, including rapper MHD, have 10 days to appeal against the ruling.
Known for his “Afro trap” music, rapper MHD persisted in claiming innocence in his concluding words before the court. “From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence in this case and I will continue to maintain my innocence,” MHD said.
While the French rapper denied being at the site of the murder, claiming that the evidence against him was based on gossip, a nearby homeowner filmed the incident from his window in the summer of 2018, and the car was instantly recognised as MHD’s. Meanwhile, other witnesses identified MHD because of his haircut and a jumper.
A day after the murder, the car was discovered abandoned and burned out in a parking lot. Juliette Chapelle, a lawyer representing the victim’s family, stated after the verdict, “A judicial truth emerged despite the law of silence.”
Notably, the prosecutor had sought an 18-year prison sentence for Mohammad Sylla, acquittal for two of the defendants, and sentences ranging from 13 to 20 years in prison for the others.
The murder took place in the Cite des Chaufourniers, an estate in the neighbourhood where MHD worked as a pizza delivery boy and continued to visit despite becoming a music star later on.
