French rapper MHD on Wednesday appealed a 12-year jail term handed down last month for the 2018 murder of a young man in Paris, his lawyer Antoine Vey said. MHD, real name Mohamed Sylla, was sentenced on September 24 after the victim was rammed with a car before being set upon by a mob and stabbed to death. Five of his fellow defendants were also jailed over the killing, receiving jail terms of between 10 and 18 years, over what prosecutors said was a fight between rival gangs.
Four of them have likewise appealed, while the other defendant is currently on the run, a source close to the case said. Three other men were acquitted of the killing on the night of July 5 of Loic K, 23, run over by a Mercedes in Paris’ tenth district. The car was found burnt the following day in a parking lot. Several witnesses placed Sylla at the scene of the crime.
A local resident filmed the incident from his window, and the Mercedes was quickly identified as belonging to MHD. Other witnesses identified him by his haircut or a sweatshirt by Puma—for which he was a brand ambassador—according to investigative reports seen by AFP. He denies any involvement in the murder. The pioneer of afro-trap—a mix of hip-hop and African traditions—MHD rose to fame after becoming a viral sensation in 2015.
The 29-year-old was charged with homicide in January 2019 and imprisoned. He was released after a year and a half in custody as investigations continued, and released a new album. The prosecution had demanded he be slapped with an 18-year term.—AFP