Kidd Creole, one of the founding members of rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, has been sentenced to over a decade in prison for the murder of a homeless man identified as John Jolly nearly four years ago.
The Associated Press reported that Kidd, whose real name is Nathaniel Glover, was found guilty of manslaughter last month after he stabbed Jolly twice in the chest with a steak knife in midtown Manhattan in August 2017.
After the incident, Glover reportedly went to his place of business, changed his clothing, and washed the knife off. The hip-hop pioneer claimed that he thought the 55-year-old man was a homosexual who tried to flirt and eventually rob him.
Manhattan State Supreme Court Justice Michele Rodney reportedly took issue with arguments made by Glover’s attorney, Scottie Celestin, who said during the trial that his client had felt threatened in part because Jolly was homeless. “A life is a life is a life,” she said during sentencing, before adding that the killing was not “somehow justified because the person is homeless.”
“Mr. Jolly’s death was devastating to his family and those who knew him,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a news release shortly after. “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.”
While speaking to the judge, Glover said that he was disappointed at the trial’s outcome claiming that he had been portrayed as someone “who has no remorse or humanity.” He said that he expected to be exonerated. The lead prosecutor on the case had initially requested 18 years, although he could’ve been sentenced to 25 years. In addition, Glover had rejected the offer of a plea deal that would have resulted in 10 years in prison.
A cousin of Mr. Jolly, Cheryl Horry, believed Glover showed little to no remorse. “He didn’t say sorry,” she said. “He didn’t even say sorry to his own family. That shows a lot.”
Celestin plans to appeal the conviction.