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Rapper Remy Ma's NYC Assault Trial Opens |
Contributed By: DeadPunx
Created On: Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Hits: 129
 Remy Ma
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 The lawsuit has since been withdrawn.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.
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