Wannabe rapper gets life in prison in Brooklyn murder case
A reputed street gang leader who sought to convince a jury that amateur music videos featuring him rhyming about carrying guns and spilling the blood of rivals were pure fiction was sentenced Thursday to life in prison.
Ronald Herron was convicted in June of murder, racketeering, robbery and other charges following a monthlong trial in federal court in Brooklyn.
During the trial, Herron took the witness stand in his own defense, testifying that he decided to leave his life of crime and pursue a hip-hop career using the name Ra Diggs in 2007 after serving a six-year prison term for drug dealing.
Herron, 33, described seeking out the guidance of a music promoter who suggested he use subject matter from his experiences growing up as the son of a crack addict father and shoplifter mother in a drug-plagued housing project in Brooklyn. He testified those experiences included becoming a crack dealer and armed robber as a teenager, joining the Bloods gang in a youth detention facility and surviving a shooting when he was back on the street.