Man Acquitted in Rapper Dolla's Shooting Death

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted May 22nd 2010 10:13AM

A jury acquitted a man Friday of killing up-and-coming Atlanta rapper Dolla during a shooting last year at a crowded, upscale Los Angeles mall.

Jurors rejected prosecutors' contentions that the killing of Dolla, whose real name was Roderick Anthony Burton II, was a callous act of apparent revenge.

Burton and his accused shooter, Aubrey Louis Berry, had been involved in a fight at an Atlanta club less than two weeks before the shooting last May.

Berry's attorney had contended the shooting was an act of self-defense, emphasizing that Burton - a protege of hip-hop artist Akon - glorified a violent gangster lifestyle in his rap lyrics and online videos.

Berry, who has remained jailed since the May 18, 2009, shooting, hugged his attorney but was otherwise unemotional after the verdict.

Burton's mother, Dayna Robinson, sobbed.

"Oh please, somebody help me," Robinson said, as she and other family members filed out of the courtroom.

Deputy District Attorney Bobby Grace painted Berry as a killer who methodically aimed at Burton during the shooting, then ordered a valet to retrieve his rented sport utility vehicle while still clutching his gun.

In his closing arguments Monday, Grace claimed Berry had no remorse.

"Defendant Berry murdered Roderick Burton in cold blood, then tried to escape to Atlanta," Grace said.

Berry brought the gun to a business lunch at the mall. The men spotted each other at a restaurant and exchanged words in the valet area. It was then, Grace said, that Berry pulled his weapon and used it "as an instrument of death in a symphony of violence."

Grace said Berry drove around Burton as he was dying and began to plot his escape.

Defense Attorney Howard Price, however, painted a very different picture of Berry, who was soft-spoken last week as he testified about a series of incidents that led up to the shooting.

The college-educated Berry said he worked in commercial marketing, in the music industry, and "never killed anything" growing up. Price portrayed Burton, conversely, as someone who proclaimed a violent streak, bragging in his lyrics about carrying guns, singing "You be running when I shoot, I be shooting where you running" in one tune.

Price said Berry opened fire because Burton threatened to kill him and he feared he had a gun. The 24-year-old Atlanta resident was fearful because he believed the rapper had gang ties.

The jury on Friday found Berry not guilty of first degree murder and all other charges, including assault with a firearm.

Grace looked dazed after the verdict was read.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed," he told reporters.

When asked about Burton's gangster image, Grace said he hoped that wasn't the tipping point for the jurors.

"I would hate to think that the jurors' decision was based solely on lyrics," he said. "It appears they believed what the defendant had to say."

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Tags: dolla

Comments

(37)

Saturday 22 May

By NASCARMAN9424

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Will these people ever stop being violent? they can't blame their bad neighborhood once they have reached fame and fortune.It is who they are and can never be civilized.

By r

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notice how big the baseball cap is on his head, black people have little heads

By ed

you mean like all the white serial killers and child molesters out there. yeah, they're non-violent.

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Nothing civil about ol' racist Nascarman.;)

By Marie

Are you idiotic or what? Black, white, yellow, brown.... what difference does it make to an individual's decision to act in a certain manner? Was Jeffrey Dahmer black? I could go on and on! Don't show your ignornce and stupidity.

By mch2mch4u2

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You are letting your ignorance show. Hopefully intelligent people you know will not see this post and realize what an idiot you are. Perhaps you are the result of to much inbreeding?

By mark

Black people don't have little heads. They have big heads. Its their brains that are small

By RFC

Just proof that you can take the THUG out of the ghetto. But, you can never take the ghetto out of the THUG! I am sorry for his family's loss. Then again there's a good chance that BETTER PARENTING would've prevented his DEATH!

Sunday 23 May

By shempbat

@r...He kinda looks like a Peanuts character with that big hat!

By Devistated monique

I am a parent who has lost her daughter who was 19years young due to gun violance and I give his mom props for being able to go to the courtroom and listen to the testimoney of the guy that has taken her son's life over stupidity.my daughter was leaving her baby's father and he did not want that and he shot her once in the temple and the other in the throat actually just yesterday would have made (10)years since this incident and i miss my child dearly but only the fact of knowing that the perpritarator that did this is deceased as he took his life just minute's after he took her's. i most likely would be in a mental institution or jail for taking his ..So I guess what i'm trying to say to the many people that may read this is stop all this killing against each other when you take a life you also kill the parent's of that person.as everyday I have to look at my grandson whom look's so much like her when i look at him i see her and he tell's me all i want is my mommy back and it kills me to have to tell him she is watching over him .it's all right to say that but we know in reality a person is really not trying to hear that so please take what i told you and apply it to your daily lives and lets stop the killing!!!!!!!!!!!Think about your'e children who you may leave behind becouse of your'e action what legacy do you want to leave behind.I AM SO DEVASTED ONLY IF I COULD SEE MY DAUGHTER AGAIN IN REAL LIFE AND NOT JUST A VISION...I DO THINK OF ALL THE GOOD TIME'S AND I PRAY FOR THIS RAPPER'S FAMILY AS WELL.

By rose

why would anyone tell the entire world of an incident in their life? hell i dont understand it.

By Eric Johnson

Howard Price most be an excellent attorney.To make a case based on rumors ,hear say,and art strong enough to overshadow shooting an unarmed man,was quite an undertaking!Mr berry owes his life to Price ,I hope he repays his dept with a peaceful existence

By equilizer

This is out of control . It was only another thug that was taken off the streets permanently . Now if we could only get the Mexicans !

By Bob

"shooting last year at a crowded, upscale Los Angeles mall.
".....Keep your childish fueds between yourselves.....shooting at a crowded place over a fight...how pathetic...and are "Gangsters" (lol) afraid to fight with their fists anymore?....these little troublemakers are ruining the world for the rest of the good people...we need to stop being so poitically correct and just start stomping them and putting these little piss ants in their place

By tina

Let me remind the good white folk that your country was founded by criminals. Remember England let em go lol. Most of you are the seeds of sociopaths. The only reason your not cutting up so much now is because those forefathers (sociopaths). Did everything back then to give you the lives you have now. Now marinate on that!

By mickey

Or urinate on it.

By Sin D

Pack your bags and leave for a better place then sweetheart. Or if you do not live here...how is your country doing? Thought so.

By frenchblue367

Piss off, racist. You perpetuate the troubles between the PEOPLE (NOT races, I firmly state) so please do the whole world a favor and STFU!! Thank you.

By Steve

I will bet nobody wanted to be a snitch . If you live by the sword you will die by the sword .If you live by the gun you will die by the gun and if you live by the violent lyrics you will die by the violent lyrics . Whatever you sow shall you reap .

By Bigcity

If ya don't like the effects don't produce the cause.
May God be with a you.

We shall reap what we sow ;-(

Peace,

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