Hurricane Chris has been acquitted of the 2020 murder of 32-year-old Danzeria Farris Jr.
Closing arguments in the “A Bay Bay” rapper’s second-degree murder trial took place on Tuesday (March 14), with the Caddo Parish, Louisiana jury delivering their verdict after 9 p.m. that night.
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According to WGNO, Hurricane Chris (real name Christopher Dooley) was found not guilty on all counts. In addition to second-degree murder, he was also charged with illegal possession of a stolen 2016 Mercedes-Benz.
Had the jury returned a guilty verdict on the murder charge, he would have faced life in prison.
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“I wanna thank God, my attorneys at the Washington & Wells Law Firm, and my family for standing with me as my life was on the line,” the rapper said in a statement to The Shade Room after being acquitted. “They wanted to give me life if I was found guilty. Now I can hug my son and think about raising him to be a man.”
He added: “This situation drained me and affected my health greatly. God, I give you all the glory. I got my life back and words can’t explain how I feel. Thanks to everyone who wished me well.”
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Hurricane Chris was indicted in October 2020 in connection with the fatal shooting of Farris, which occurred outside of a Texaco convenience store in Shreveport in June of that year.
Responding police officers discovered Farris with multiple gunshot wounds in his chest, hip and stomach. He later died from his injuries at a local hospital.
The 51/50 Ratchet rapper, who was released from jail on a $500,000 bond, had long maintained his innocence, claiming he had acted in self-defense after Farris had allegedly tried to steal his vehicle. The car itself later turned out to be stolen from Texas.
“Hello world, hello world, hello world,” he said in a video after posting bond. “I’m sure you got the news by now. I was involved in a very unfortunate incident on Friday morning, a very unfortunate incident. I wanna thank everybody who’s been praying for the family of the deceased and everybody who’s been praying for my family.
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He continued: “After a good, thorough investigation, my name will be cleared. Let God work, watch God work. God bless. Thank you.”
During the trial, which began on March 8, prosecutors reportedly speculated that Hurricane Chris gunned down Farris because he was too close to the $10,000 he had in his car.
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The rapper’s legal team, meanwhile, claimed he had attempted to wound, not kill, Farris, and asked that their client not be convicted because of his celebrity status.
