Kidd Creole, one of the founding members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, a legendary rap group, was sentenced on Wednesday to 16 years in prison for fatally stabbing a homeless man in 2017, according to a statement from the Manhattan District Attorney.
A month ago, 62-year-old Creole, born Nathanial Glover, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter after he was held without trial for four years. When he was arrested in 2017, he was originally charged with murder.
Creole stabbed 55-year-old John Jolly, the homeless man, two times with a steak knife after an argument in midtown Manhattan, according to the statement.
In the statement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, he said, “Mr. Jolly’s death was devastating to his family and those who knew him. Every life we lose to violent crime ripples throughout our entire city, and we will continue to ensure everyone in our borough can live their lives with the sense of safety and security they deserve.”
He continued, “This case makes clear that if you commit a violent crime, we will hold you accountable, and I thank our team for their hard work achieving justice in this matter.”
Scottie Celestin, Creole’s attorney, argued in court that his client acted in self-defense. But in response, prosecutors said Creole stabbed Jolly because he was gay and hitting on him. Creole has denied those accusations, according to NBC News.
More from the statement:
As proven at trial, GLOVER was walking past Mr. Jolly on East 43rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues when the two began to exchange words. GLOVER walked past Mr. Jolly, and eventually turned around. GLOVER, who approached Mr. Jolly, met him chest-to-chest before stabbing him twice in the torso with a steak knife. Minutes later, a group of tourists discovered Mr. Jolly in the street, and he was transported to the hospital where he died of his stab wounds.
Meanwhile, GLOVER left the scene and fled two blocks away to his place of work. There, he changed his clothing and cleaned the knife in an office sink. After approximately 15 minutes, the defendant left, boarded the subway, and disposed of the knife in a sewer near a Bronx subway station. The following day, NYPD officers recovered the knife and arrested the defendant at his home in the Bronx.
Celestin said Creole’s conviction will be appealed, according to NBC News.