Swedish rapper gets life for Hollywood killing
A Los Angeles court on Thursday sentenced 35-year-old Swedish hip-hop artist David Moses Jassy, aka Monopoly, to 15 years to life imprisonment for the murder of a jazz pianist in Hollywood in November 2008.
Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson rejected an application by Jassy's defence counsel to reduce the conviction to manslaughter, according to the LA Times.
The judge ruled that the brutality of the killing of John Osnes, a 55-year-old Norwegian-American jazz pianist, in an apparent road rage incident, together with Jassy's "phony" trial testimony citing self-defence, warranted the higher charge, the newspaper reports.
The rapper from Stockholm who performs under the stage name of David Monopoly, was convicted of the second degree murder of Osnes in February.
The rapper was returning from a nightclub on Sunset Strip with his girlfriend when he crossed paths with John Osnes, who was walking home from a bar.
Prosecutors say that Osnes banged on the bonnet of Jassy's rented SUV when he was stationary at a pedestrian crossing.
Jassy then leaped out of his vehicle and punched the 55-year-old pianist. When Osnes bent down to retrieve his glasses, Jassy kicked him in the face.
The Swede then climbed back into his vehicle and ran over his victim, leaving the scene, with Osnes fighting for his life on the pavement.
According to the terms of Jassy's mandatory sentence he will eligible for parole in 2024, when he is 49-years-old.
Jassy, who has an 11-year-old son in Sweden, filed an appeal against his conviction on Thursday.
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Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson rejected an application by Jassy's defence counsel to reduce the conviction to manslaughter, according to the LA Times.
The judge ruled that the brutality of the killing of John Osnes, a 55-year-old Norwegian-American jazz pianist, in an apparent road rage incident, together with Jassy's "phony" trial testimony citing self-defence, warranted the higher charge, the newspaper reports.
The rapper from Stockholm who performs under the stage name of David Monopoly, was convicted of the second degree murder of Osnes in February.
The rapper was returning from a nightclub on Sunset Strip with his girlfriend when he crossed paths with John Osnes, who was walking home from a bar.
Prosecutors say that Osnes banged on the bonnet of Jassy's rented SUV when he was stationary at a pedestrian crossing.
Jassy then leaped out of his vehicle and punched the 55-year-old pianist. When Osnes bent down to retrieve his glasses, Jassy kicked him in the face.
The Swede then climbed back into his vehicle and ran over his victim, leaving the scene, with Osnes fighting for his life on the pavement.
According to the terms of Jassy's mandatory sentence he will eligible for parole in 2024, when he is 49-years-old.
Jassy, who has an 11-year-old son in Sweden, filed an appeal against his conviction on Thursday.
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