Kidd Creole has been found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in a New York City court in connection with the fatal stabbing of a homeless man named John Jolly after the rapper thought he was gay.
After hours of deliberation and closing arguments, the jury delivered the verdict. The sentence could be as high as 25 years for the 62-year old musician.
Kidd Creole, a New York City judge found him guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of John Jolly.
John Jolly, 55 years old, was killed in the aftermath of the beating by the music artist
Glover lived alone in Bronx for many years before the stabbing. He also worked in a copyshop.
He was on his way to work when the incident occurred. Jolly, 55 years old, used a steak knife and stabbed him to death.
Tourists found Jolly wounded just minutes after he had been attacked. Glover fled from the scene, prosecutors stated. He went to Glover’s office and washed his knife. Later, he disposed it in a Bronx sewer, TMZ reported.
The weapon was recovered by police the next day. Glover was then arrested and charged for second-degree murder. Since then, he has been held at Rikers Island prison complex.
Kidd Creole, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in New York City, 2007.
Kidd Creole was seen last month entering Manhattan’s Court
The manslaughter trial had already seen the musical performer earlier in this week.
Glover admitted to the authorities, in an audio interview with Rolling Stone that he felt ‘a little annoyed’ that Jolly thought he was looking for a romantic encounter.
‘To tell the truth, I thought he was gay and because I thought he was gay, and he was saying that to me, “What’s up,” I was thinking that he was thinking I was gay,’ Glover said in the police interview, adding that he ‘got a little nervous’ when Jolly approached him.
Glover, who was not aware Jolly had died following the stabbing at the time of the interview, told police, ‘I tried to back up a little bit, and he moved forward, and then I just took the knife and stabbed him … I wish I never would have seen him. It’s all my fault, because I chose to stab him. That is my fault.
Prosecutors argued that Glover had no reason to fear Jolly and linked Glover’s actions with homophobia. The defense attorneys claimed that Glover was afraid of Jolly and that Jolly died from a mix of alcohol and a tranquilizer he received while in hospital.
Scottie Celestin Glover’s attorney stated that police officers and prosecutors were quick to judge Glover guilty, saying “They did a perp walk.” They paraded him in front of the camera, that’s it.’
Kidd Creole (second from left) was a member of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, pictured in 1980
The group in 2007 was placed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Jay-Z inducting them
Celestin claimed that Jolly died from stab wounds years ago, however medical records that were made several years later showed that Jolly wasn’t killed. Prosecutors continued the case because they feared for their own survival. They also said that witnesses’ testimony was biased and corrupted in an attempt to prove Glover’s innocence.
Celestin noted how Glover ‘repeatedly’ told police he ‘didn’t want to hurt’ Jolly.
Mark Dahl, the prosecutor in this case, told jurors Glover took Jolly’s lives ‘in coldblood’. He also stated that no witnesses had any interest in Glover’s fate.
Dahl used also a 2-liter glass bottle to show how many blood Jolly lost to Glover’s stabbing. He said Glover’s knife use was an intentional act of violence, not a defensive one.
Glover will be sentenced May 4.
Glover was also known as Kidd Creole and was a member the New York City-based Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five. They are regarded as pioneers of hip-hop with the signature song, The Message. The group in 2007 was placed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Jay-Z inducting them.