The Iowa Supreme Court says the use of a rap video didn’t prejudice the jury in a Sioux City man’s murder trial.
Lawrence Canady was charged with murder, but was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter for his role in the shooting death of Martez Harrison outside Uncle Dave’s bar in 2021. The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled a 30 second rap video featuring Canaday introduced at the trial prejudiced the jury and ordered a new trial.
The Iowa Supreme Court reversed that ruling, saying the tendency to infer that someone committed a particular act of violence because that person rapped about acts of violence is less of a concern when the acts of violence and who committed them are undisputed. The ruling says the surveillance video clearly showed Canady beating Harrison outside the bar when another man then shot Harrison.
Here’s the full ruling: Canady opinion PDF