An Indianapolis rapper named T Ward — real name Troy Ward — was convicted of a 2017 triple homicide after his own song lyrics put him at the scene of the crime, earning himself a “Donkey Of The Day” award from The Breakfast Club.
According to the Indianapolis Star, the 21-year-old Indiana native rapped about details only the killer would’ve known.
Prosecutors played the song in question during the trial and noted each victim was shot in the chest — “two shots to the body”— and in the head — “two shots to the dome,” which Ward raps in the song. Consequently, Ward was convicted of murder and robbery charges in 2018. [apple_news_ad type=”any”]
Last November, Ward’s attorney argued in state appeals court the song prejudiced the jury, but the conviction was upheld. He insisted “the song was a form of artistic expression, not an admission of guilt.”
But Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said there’s “no mistaking the specificity of the lyrics,” which matched the exact details of incident.
The three victims were killed after Ward and four others robbed 19-year-old marijuana dealer Justin Crowder.
On July 16, 2017, Ward and his entourage arrived at Crowder’s apartment. One of them knocked on the door while Ward hid. As soon as Crowder opened the door, they started shooting. Crowder and his roommates Dominique Miller and Jordan Wright were killed. The assailants grabbed a safe from Crowder’s room and fled to the getaway car where two other accomplices were waiting.
A song of Ward’s discovered on SoundCloud called “I’m Different” reportedly details the evening’s events.
“I creep up to the door silently and slow/I opened up that (expletive) and now we clashing poles/Two shots to the body two shots to the dome/Finesse the (expletive) stash and then I took it home,” he raps.
It also includes a detail about swimming trunks. One of the victims was allegedly wearing swimming trunks when he was shot.
“When you take all of those things together, that song is pretty consistent with the facts of the case,” Mears said. “We pretty much broke it down, lyric by lyric.”
This isn’t the first time nor will it be the last time rap lyrics are used as evidence in a criminal case — but they will have various outcomes.
In 2014, the New Jersey Supreme Court overturned an attempted murder conviction after rap lyrics were used in the case. The court ruled “fictional forms of inflammatory self-expression” can’t be used as evidence unless they closely resemble details of the crime. In this particular case, the lyrics had been written before the crime.
But in 2018, the state Supreme Court in Pennsylvania upheld a conviction in a criminal case that involved rap lyrics. Jamal Knox was charged with terrorist threats after he threatened Pittsburgh police officers by name in some of his lyrics.
After Ward’s 2018 conviction, his attorneys filed an appeal arguing using the song as evidence “heightened the prejudicial nature of the evidence.”
Ward’s trial attorney Charles White said the state couldn’t prove when the song was written.
“They were arguing that he created the song after these events and this is evidence that he was there,” White said. “Our argument is it was prejudicial to him because they couldn’t lay out a time frame.”
However, Mears said the admission of the song was “thoughtfully considered and discussed at length” during the trial.
“When we had arguments about whether or not it was admissible, I conceded: Look, Martin Scorsese makes a gangster movie, doesn’t mean he’s in the mafia,” Mears said. “That does not mean he participated in those crimes at all.
“What I am saying is if Martin Scorsese makes a movie about a murder, and three other people say Martin Scorsese was involved in that murder, and Martin Scorsese knows details about the murder that no one else would know unless they’re at the crime scene, then I think we need to take a closer look at the movie.”
Ward was convicted to 180 years in prison.
Thank you kind sir. The non-criminal element in America greatly appreciate your stupidity.
This fool killed 3 men over weed and some change! Then brag about it in his lyrics.. Bye Dude! That crap is truly cold!! Like them dudes didn’t have family!! All of them could have just beat them down, but to take a life over some dumb crap is sickening!
So they shouldve committed felonious assault and battery, and petty theft? You a stupid kind of bitch.
Sounds a lot better than murder
Uhhhhhh it’s clearly better than the alternative of MURDER!! You a special kind of dumb Ho-ward
The perils of not being a phony, bullshitter studio gangster, as are 99.9% of gangster rappers hahahs
Remind me of the Key and Peele skit lol
Also the boondocks did a show on this.
“What can I say, I gotta vivid imagination.”
Yeah you different alright…hope it was worth it smh
The value of life continues to plummet ten fold over grass and change how lame is that smh.
Lol…some of these rappers are dumb..just brain dead. Every year there is something new… traffic stops with guns and weed in the car…guns and other drugs found at home…beatdowns or worse caught on camera. Instead of trying to be gangster how about trying to live a better life. The police ain’t putting you in prison..your putting yourself there. Let’s see how many others get caught by the end of the year lol.
It will be overturned. How many rappers have basically said that exact same shit…. it’s so vague
Only this time, seems all the evidence adds up and everything is clear as day. The man could’ve picked an obscure rap name and not one close to his government name. Stupid on all levels.
enjoy that long term vacation, stupid.
Real rap no fake shit. Thats what i like. Respect for really catching a body and rapping about it unlike all your favourite rappera. Big gucci also caught a body which is why real recognize real.
So what’s so Real about that, oh that’s right, what’s so real is catching that time, you sound Real stupid ?
Really? You respect this guy for murder? What an asshole you are. And how TF can you have a rap career if you constantly are rapping about felonies you’ve committed? Never think anyone’s gonna catch on? I can’t believe there are ppl who think you have to be a criminal to be a good musician! Hope to see YOU on the “donkey of the day”, fella
Martin scorcese isnt black
Okay but what does that have to do with it.
Stupid actions get stupid rewards.
HipHop artists have to be the most stupid people on earth. You commit a crime and report yourself. Oh… and being real is overrated:You don’t have to live what you rap about. What a dumbass
I have mixed feelings reading this. For one, not EVERY single hip hop artist is stupid, not even stupid, in this guys case, RETARDED. Some rappers are incredibly smart and would never see themselves in a situation like this or similar…. But I have to agree that if you legitimately commit a serious crime and you rap about it word for word………. what else could you expect besides the man getting 180 years in prison?
This is both hilarious and tragic at the same time, smh fam
Dumbass
Fuckin’ moron
Fuckin dummy
2 to the body, 2 to the dome, 180 years in the mother Fn hole. Self snitchin, not winnin T WARD …. out!!!
y’all corny for calling him a rapper when he’s a MURDERER! & the audacity to use a whole selfie this mf don’t deserve to be portrayed as a human. he deserve to be in that ground not my friend! i said what i said period so don’t come at me funny i’ll come right for you!