A man accused of killing rapper Roderick "Dolla" Burton has been acquitted for fatally shooting the rap newcomer in California last year.
Details on the court's decision were released Friday (May 21) evening.
The man accused of murdering Atlanta-based rapper Dolla last year in a Los Angeles-area mall has been acquitted. Music promoter Aubrey Louis Berry was found not guilty of first degree murder and all other charges stemming from the shocking incident Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times. Although Berry and Burton reportedly were involved in a fight just a couple of weeks before the LA shooting, Berry's attorney, Howard Price, emphasized the self-defense motive, saying Burton's music and online videos were examples of his supposed gang ties.
The trial took place earlier this month in Los Angeles.
Deputy District Attorney Robert Grace told jurors Aubrey Louis Berry fired eight shots at rapper Roderick Anthony Burton II, known as Dolla, and his friends in the valet area of Beverly Center. Grace said the 21-year-old Burton was struck by four bullets as he tried to run from Berry. Three of the shots hit Burton in the back, Grace said in his opening statement. After the shooting, Berry drove around Burton, who lay dying, Grace said. "Roderick was senselessly gunned down by Aubrey Berry in a hail of gunfire," Grace said. Berry, 24, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Berry was accused of killing Dolla last year and was arrested shortly after the fatal shooting took place.
A Georgia man has been arrested for investigation of murder in the fatal shooting of Dolla. Los Angeles police said in a statement Tuesday that 23-year-old Aubrey Louis Berry of Georgia was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport with a gun on Monday night. His bail was set at $1 million.
Konvict Muzik labelhead Akon later spoke to a crowd of students about the danger of guns and reflected on his late artist.
"He was a great kid, he didn't deserve it," Akon said of the 21-year-old Dolla, who was in Los Angeles to work on his first album A Dolla & A Dream. "The reason he got shot was probably the most miscellaneous thing ever. It's to a point now where we're always trying to find ways to deal with our issues, deal with all these main challenges which is very hard, especially when we're surrounded by an environment that don't really have morals." Akon, who has been accused of embellishing his own criminal past, also called the murder "a very senseless crime."
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