Rapper Remy Ma’s NYC assault trial opens (AP)
By SAMUEL MAULL, Associated Press Writer 14 minutes ago
NEW YORK - Remy Ma went on trial for assault Monday, with a prosecutor claiming the rapper shot and almost killed a friend because she thought the woman had stolen money from her.| ADVERTISEMENT // // (c) 2008 adInterax, All Rights Reserved, http://adinterax.com // LOAD THIS PAGE INSIDE THE IFRAME //adx_U_7077=”[ your-click-through-URL-goes-here ]”; adx_D_7077=”http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=14urqr2pa/M=617533.12402337.12793661.6065055/D=news/S=46079015:LREC/_ylt=A0WTUcboz9VHLr8A3wInHL8C/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1205201928/L=iIYz0UWTVvpgsc9uHTcUJAGY2P.2KkfVz.gACvY1/B=6d6bAtGDJGY-/J=1205194728729641/A=5275022/R=0/*”; //adx_I_7077=”[ your-impression-track-pixel-URL-goes-here ]”; adx_data_7077=”A=151,AN=counting_crows_banners%2fMUS_LiveSetCntngCrows300x250v2,AC=,AV=,PB=1/SIG=14fl0otoq,X=1205194728,B=5275022,C=617533.12402337.12793661.6065055,D=LREC,Z=,R=news,P=iIYz0UWTVvpgsc9uHTcUJAGY2P.2KkfVz.gACvY1,E=46079015,Y=YAHOO,V=1.0″; function adl_7077(){ var d=document,r=d.referrer,i,a,b=’ad’,e,p=new Array(”data”,”U”,”D”,”I”); var u=”http://richmedia.yimg.com/js/151/counting_crows_banners/MUS_LiveSetCntngCrows300x250v2″; if(top!=self){try{a='’+top.location}catch(e){} if(a){adxid=Math.random();b=’ad-iframe’}else if(r){ u=((r&&(i=r.indexOf(”/”,9))>0)?r.substring(0,i):r)+”/adx-iframe-v3.html#ad=”+u; for(i=0;i<4;i++)eval(”if(typeof(adx_”+p[i]+”_7077)!=’undefined’)u+=’&adx_”+p[i]+”_7077=’+escape(adx_”+p[i]+”_7077)”); d.write('’); return}}d.write('’)} adl_7077(); |
But a lawyer for the singer, whose real name is Remy Smith, said the July 14 shooting after a party was “a tragic accident.”
Smith, 26, is charged in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court with first-degree assault and related charges in the shooting of Makeda Barnes Joseph, who was critically wounded.
Prosecutor Jason Berland said Smith, who accused Joseph of taking $2,000 from her purse, fired two .45-caliber slugs into Joseph’s abdomen, then fled in a Cadillac Escalade and slammed into a parked car a few blocks away.
According to the prosecution, Smith abandoned her SUV and went to a friend’s house without ever calling police or for medical help.
Defense lawyer Ivan Fisher said the victim’s story about the shooting had changed since she testified before a grand jury. He said the two women had struggled over the gun and it went off accidentally. Fisher said Joseph’s story changed when her lawyer was preparing to file a $20 million lawsuit against the rapper. The lawsuit has since been withdrawn.
Smith, who was nominated for a Grammy as part of the Terror Squad for the 2004 smash “Lean Back,” has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is free on $250,000 bail. The rapper, who also has appeared on recordings with Busta Rhymes and Eminem, could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
