Post by Near on Dec 26, 2006 22:43:37 GMT -5
NEW YORK (AP) -- When police arrested Ronell Wilson, his pockets were stuffed with the type of violent poetry that boys have been scribbling in notebooks since the advent of gangsta rap.
In his lyrics, Wilson called himself "Rated R," warned any challengers to wear a bulletproof vest, and boasted of leaving .45-caliber slugs in the heads of his enemies.
The clumsy verses may never land Wilson a record deal, but to prosecutors, they were solid gold.
Wilson went on trial in federal court in Brooklyn this month on charges he murdered two undercover police officers, and the government presented the lyrics to a jury as evidence that the 23-year-old is a remorseless killer.
Prosecutor Morris J. Fodeman asked jurors to take special note of one stanza: "Ain't goin' stop to I'm dead."
The jury convicted Wilson on Wednesday, and he now faces a possible death sentence.
The use of rap lyrics at trial is a tactic that has been embraced by prosecutors across the country in recent years.
In his lyrics, Wilson called himself "Rated R," warned any challengers to wear a bulletproof vest, and boasted of leaving .45-caliber slugs in the heads of his enemies.
The clumsy verses may never land Wilson a record deal, but to prosecutors, they were solid gold.
Wilson went on trial in federal court in Brooklyn this month on charges he murdered two undercover police officers, and the government presented the lyrics to a jury as evidence that the 23-year-old is a remorseless killer.
Prosecutor Morris J. Fodeman asked jurors to take special note of one stanza: "Ain't goin' stop to I'm dead."
The jury convicted Wilson on Wednesday, and he now faces a possible death sentence.
The use of rap lyrics at trial is a tactic that has been embraced by prosecutors across the country in recent years.
