British Drill Rapper Sentenced To Life For “Revenge” Killing Of Rival Gang Member
A drill rapper has been sentenced to a minimum of 37 years behind bars in connection with the “revenge” killing of a rival gang member at a children’s party in August 2022.
Kacey Boothe, 25, was fatally shot on August 13, 2022, outside a community center in East London. He was attending the first birthday party of his friend Khalid Samanter’s child.
26-year-old rapper Kammar Henry-Richards, who uses the stage name Kay-O, along with Ka’mani Brightly-Donaldson, 25, Joao Pateco-Te, 28 and Jeffrey Gyimah, 23, were all convicted of the murder.
The men were sentenced at London’s Old Bailey on Tuesday (January 14).
Henry-Richards was jailed for life with a minimum term of 37 years for the murder on Tuesday.
Brightly-Donaldson, Joao Pateco-Te and Jeffrey Gyimah were also sentenced to life in prison with minimum terms ranging from 35 to 38 years.
A fifth man, Roody Thomas, was sentenced to five years after admitting possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors argued the murder was part of an ongoing gang rivalry between the London Fields gang and the E9’ers. Days after the murder, Henry-Richards bragged about the killing in a music video for a song called “Kay-O Laughing Stock.”
— Kay-O (@KO_HOMERTON) September 2, 2022
The court heard the gun used to kill Boothe was also used to shoot his older brother, Kyle, in August 2020.
The lyrics read: “Big Boothe and Little got hit, same sig, that’s a sour family/Both got slapped at functions, neck and head, handguns come handy.”
Judge Lynn Tayton QC described the killing as a “planned revenge attack. arising out of gang rivalry in the context of an ongoing pattern of serious t##-for-tat violence.”
The four defendants were also convicted and sentenced for conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the shooting of Abdi-Rahman Jeylaani in August 2022, per BBC News.
Sentencing them, Judge Tayton said: “Having considered your individual cases I am of the view that there is no sensible basis upon which to differentiate between you in terms of the roles you played in the murder or the conspiracy to murder.
“Although none of you actually carried out the shootings you all played significant roles in facilitating those offences and I cannot identify any of you as playing a substantially greater part than others.”