Remy Ma sentenced to 8 years in prison for shooting a woman

Remy Ma sentenced to 8 years in prison for shooting a woman Rapper Remy Ma was sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting a woman outside a New York nightclub in 2007. Remy Ma, real name Remy Smith, was found guilty in March by a New York jury and today was handed the lengthy sentence at New York state Supreme Court, despite denying the shooting was an assault, rather claiming an accident. The shooting occurred on July 14th 2007 outside of a New York night club on West 14th St and Washington Street around 4am and according to Remy Ma, she believed the victim Makeda Barnes-Joseph, a friend of the rapper, had stolen $3,000 from her and that her gun went off as the pair struggled over her purse. Remy was said to have fled the scene in a dark blue Escalade, which she crashed a few blocks later, escaping on foot. Attorneys for the hip-hop star claim the victim exaggerated the incident to win a large sum in a separate civil suit. "Remy Ma is not even close to who I really am. I'm not a thug. I'm not a threat or a menace to society, and I still have so much to offer," Remy Smith sad in court, appealing for leniency.

The rap star was facing up to 25 years in prison and plans to appeal the 8-year prison sentence. Remy Ma, who was nominated for a Grammy in 2004, also had plans to marry yesterday to her fiancée rapper Papoose at New York's Rikers Island jail, but the ceremony was canceled after a handcuff key was discovered on Papoose, authorities said.

Published on 05/13/2008