Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Shyheim Franklin, formerly Shyheim the Rugged Child, has been undergoing some legal struggles over the past year. Back in January, Shyheim was accused of the hit-and-run killing of a 29-year-old father of two and has now pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case.
Franklin, 36, was driving a friend’s vehicle when he struck Felipe Avila Olea’s on Jan. 1 in the early dawn hours. Avila Olea was on his way to his job at a bakery when Franklin smashed into a parked van before striking the victim’s car. Police say Franklin turned himself in eight days later, this after leaving evidence at the scene of the crash.
From from Staten Island Advance:
On the day before he turned himself in, Franklin, in a YouTube video, called on his fans’ “trust and honor” and asked them to send a check to his criminal defense lawyer to help pay his legal fees.
The victim’s family reacted with shock and disgust to the 90-second video, in which Franklin referred to himself at one point as “Killer Bee on the Swarm.”
Friends described Avila Olea as a quiet, kind man, always willing to help out. The Rosamaria Bakery’s owner, Joseph Silvestro, described Avila as one of his best employees.
“He was a gentleman. He was very soft-spoken,” Silvestro said, according to Advance reports.
Franklin, who last released a project in 2009, was arrested April 2013 on gun and drug charges. He was out on bail during the time of the crash. He has previously served a two-year sentence for a 2002 attempted robbery conviction.
Franklin will be sentenced in Staten Island Supreme Court August 21. He faces between four and two thirds and 14 years in prison over the charges.
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Photo: YouTube
