Jury Acquits Man in Shooting Death of Konvict Muzik Rapper Dolla

A California jury acquitted Aubrey Louis Berry of killing up and coming Atlanta rapper Dolla last May during a shooting at an upscale mall in the Los Angeles area. Jurors rejected the argument from prosecutors saying that Dolla’s death was the result of a callous act of apparent revenge from Berry.

Dolla (real name: Roderick Anthony Burton II) and Aubrey were involved in a physical altercation at a club in Atlanta less than two weeks before the May 18th 2009 shooting incident. Berry’s attorney claimed that his client shot the Konvict Muzik emcee in self-defense, and emphasized that the Akon protege lived a “glorified gangster lifestyle” in his rap lyrics and music videos.

Berry, who has remained jailed since the May 18, 2009, shooting, hugged his attorney but was otherwise unemotional after the verdict. Burton’s mother, Dayna Robinson, sobbed. “Oh please, somebody help me,” Robinson said, as she and other family members filed out of the courtroom. Deputy District Attorney Bobby Grace painted Berry as a killer who methodically aimed at Burton during the shooting, then ordered a valet to retrieve his rented sport utility vehicle while still clutching his gun. In his closing arguments Monday, Grace claimed Berry had no remorse. “Defendant Berry murdered Roderick Burton in cold blood, then tried to escape to Atlanta,” Grace said. Berry brought the gun to a business lunch at the mall. The men spotted each other at a restaurant and exchanged words in the valet area. It was then, Grace said, that Berry pulled his weapon and used it “as an instrument of death in a symphony of violence.” Grace said Berry drove around Burton as he was dying and began to plot his escape.
Defense Attorney Howard Price, however, painted a very different picture of Berry, who was soft-spoken last week as he testified about a series of incidents that led up to the shooting. The college-educated Berry said he worked in commercial marketing, in the music industry, and “never killed anything” growing up. Price portrayed Burton, conversely, as someone who proclaimed a violent streak, bragging in his lyrics about carrying guns, singing “You be running when I shoot, I be shooting where you running” in one tune. Price said Berry opened fire because Burton threatened to kill him and he feared he had a gun. The 24-year-old Atlanta resident was fearful because he believed the rapper had gang ties.
The jury on Friday found Berry not guilty of first degree murder and all other charges, including assault with a firearm. Grace looked dazed after the verdict was read. “Obviously, I’m disappointed,” he told reporters. When asked about Burton’s gangster image, Grace said he hoped that wasn’t the tipping point for the jurors. “I would hate to think that the jurors’ decision was based solely on lyrics,” he said. “It appears they believed what the defendant had to say.”

Money Talks This Nigga got Self-defense And Dolla Din't Have A Gun They Talking about what he said in his Raps Shit 99.9% Of Rappers Don't do Half The shit They Rap About WTF ONLY IN California!

 

 

 

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Atlanta rapper Dolla, who was signed to Akon’s Konvict Music label, was shot and killed Monday afternoon in Los Angeles at the Beverly Center mall, causing mall shoppers to duck for cover as shots rang out in the parking garage of the popular Westside mall. He had just arrrived in Los Angeles from his hometown of Atlanta earlier in the day and went the mall to do some shopping, according to his publicist Sue Vannasing. While he and another rapper, D.J. Shabbazz, were waiting in the valet area, he was shot in the head. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he later died.

Two suspects fled from the scene, police said. About two hours later, Los Angeles police detained a “person of interest” as he attempted to board a plane out of Los Angeles International Airport. The man allegedly drove his silver Mercedes SUV from the mall to the airport, police said. He had apparently had a dispute with some people, perhaps at the airport, Vannasing said.
“They followed him to the mall because they knew he was coming,” Vannasing said. Los Angeles police officials could not immediately confirm or deny that account.
Burton was an up-and-coming rapper out of Atlanta who had recorded several singles. He was in town to work on his first album, slated to be released this summer on Jive Records, Vannasing said. His first single, released in 2007, was “Who the f*** is that?”
The shooting rattled shoppers and diners. At a Chipotle restaurant next to the valet area, 10 people were eating when the shots rang out.
“The customers were yelling ‘close the store, close the store, because somebody is shooting,’ ” said Elsa Hernandez, general manager of the restaurant.
The center is normally quite peaceful, said Hernandez, who’s worked at the restaurant for six years.
“This is the first time this has happened here,” she said.
Newton Cacho, 31, works across the street from the Beverly Center. “I’m very surprised something like this happened here. You come to a nicer part of town and you don’t expect this,” Cacho said.