But…he caught 25 years for that pistol though.
Report AJC:
The man accused of shooting and killing an Atlanta-based rapper will spend the next 25 years in jail.
While a Fulton County jury acquitted Vinson Hardimon of murder and felony murder – causing someone’s death by committing a felony – he was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a handgun during the commission of a felony for the December 2011 altercation that ended with the death of Mario Hamilton, also known as rapper Slim Dunkin.When handing down the maximum sentence, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall pointed to a gun incident involving Hardimon, 29, eight months before Hamilton’s death.
“I just think he’s prone to carry a gun, and he’s violent and dangerous,” Schwall said.
Hamilton’s father, Mark Hamilton, voiced his displeasure with the murder and felony murder acquittals, but facing the recent death of his mother on Sunday, expressed some relief that the trial was over and Hardimon would get jail time.“I’m disappointed with that verdict,” Hamilton said. “I don’t know what (the jury) saw. In the end, he got 25 years and we can have some closure.”
Prosecutors alleged that Hardimon shot Hamilton, 24, during a fight at Hardimon’s east Atlanta studio on Dec. 21, 2011. Hamilton, who was there to record a video with rapper Gucci Mane, found himself in a scuffle with Hardimon.
After the two combatants were initially separated, witnesses said Hamilton – unarmed – rushed at Hardimon, and Hardimon shot and killed the up-and-coming rapper.
Still, following the verdict, Hardimon’s attorney pointed out that the jury’s decision didn’t add up.
“There is an inconsistent verdict for Count 3 and the underlying felony of Count 2,” attorney Max Hirsch said. “The underlying felony for Count 2 is of aggravated assault. They found him not guilty of Count 2.”
In the first two counts of the indictment, the jury was asked to find Hardimon guilty of either murder and felony murder or two counts of voluntary manslaughter, or not guilty of each count.In this case, the aggravated assault was the underlying felony for the felony murder charge – in other words, the felony that caused Hamilton’s death.
Typically, juries find guilt for the felony murder and the underlying felony go hand-in-hand.
But Fulton assistant district attorney Linda Dunikoski pointed out an exception Schwall made in this case.
“The jury asked about this, and the Court’s response, as agreed to by defense counsel was that each charge was to be considered individually,” Dunikoski said.
I see said the blind man. And now…
This is EbenGregory.com…telling you it is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution. But you don’t hear me doe.
