Why Drakeo The Ruler — Who's In Prison For Murder — Hopes Kim Kardashian Will Take His Pardon Case
Can he pull it off?
Instagram Who knew that Kim Kardashian would become the patron saint of the imprisoned? After helping out with Cyntoia Brown, a rapper is now petitioning Kim Kardashian to help him with his exoneration and pardoning case. Who is Drakeo The Ruler, and does he have a chance at getting exonerated?
The curious case of Drakeo the Ruler began all the way back in 2016 when Drakeo was one of the hottest rappers in the streets of South Central Los Angeles (long considered a crime-infested, depressed neighborhood). Drakeo, born Darrell Caldwell, was being compared to Snoop Dogg when he allegedly was involved in a shooting outside of a party in Carson City, California. The murder left one man dead and several wounded. Although he was found not guilty of the murders, Spin Magazine reported that the D..A in the case refiled the charges, in which Drakeo was set to face life in prison without parole. Currently, he sits in jail.
Let's look at what else we know about Drakeo and his case.
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1. His lyrics were used to try to convict him.
When Johnny Cash sang about shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die, no one stood up and demanded the Man in Black be arrested. And yet, according to The Guardian, that's exactly what happened to Drakeo the Ruler when Francis Hardiman, the principal detective, told Drakeo that his music would be "the soundtrack of the trial." The outlet reports that Hardiman — who admits he's not a hip hop fan — abused the power of the police so egregiously by doing this that civil rights groups all across the country are currently keeping an eye on what happens to Drakeo next.
2. The song "Flex Freestyle" by Drakeo the Ruler was the prosecution's main piece of evidence.
"According to Drakeo and his attorney, prosecutors have branded Stinc Team as a gang and will try to frame the rapper’s lyrics as “recruiting advertisements” for the crew. This would make him guilty of any crime anyone in Stinc Team commits. Nearly the entirety of the crew is being held on charges ranging from murder to commercial burglary to vandalism," reported Genius, who added that the prosecution's case revolves around the song "Flex Freestyle" as being the biggest "recruiting tool."
3. But civil rights groups are, rightly, calling shenanigans.
According to Appeal.org, the biggest problem with the prosecution's case against Drakeo the Ruler is that it, by its own admission, is circumventing California's felony murder rule. Under that law, simply being present at the scene of the crime is not enough to get arrested. And, by everyone's testimony on both sides of the aisle, not only is Drakeo the Ruler not a gang member, not only did the shooting come as a surprise to him, not only was he not in possession of a gun at the time, but he actually hid under a car while the shooting took place because he was afraid that he and his friends were under attack. In order to convict him of any sort of crime, the prosecution has to not only allege that he's a gang member, but actually prove it, and they're using his lyrics as "proof."
4. Drakeo the Ruler faces life in prison if he's convicted.
According to The Fader, if Drakeo the Ruler is convicted of the new charges filed against him, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. "[He] now faces the possibility of life in prison after the District Attorney refiled charges of criminal gang conspiracy and shooting from a motor vehicle. The jury was hung on those two counts when Drakeo was tried in late July. A new trial is expected in the late fall or early winter," reported the outlet.
5. Francis Hardiman is a bit problematic, to say the least.
According to the Injustice.org website, Francis Hardiman is one of many detectives who uses jailhouse informants — specifically gang members and enforcers — improperly. "The nation’s highest court has given law enforcement guideposts on how jailhouse informants can and cannot be used. The basic rule is that, once a suspect has been charged with a serious crime, he is constitutionally entitled to legal representation and therefore cannot be lawfully questioned by police — or by an informant acting as an agent for police — without his attorney’s approval. All a jailhouse informant is supposed to be able to do when a suspect has already been charged is to listen passively, then report what he hears, the Supreme Court has said," reported the outlet, while adding that Hardiman circumvents this law by only having the informants "snitch" on those that have only been arrested, not arraigned.
6. Drakeo the Ruler hopes Kim Kardashian takes up his fight.
"I need her to tweet something, Meek Mill — somebody. Somebody that deals with this type of stuff. It's not like I got a hung [jury] on a murder, attempted murder [or] a conspiracy. All those was not guilty. But a lot of people don't understand this law. How am I supposed to benefit from a murder I didn't do and I was acquitted of?" he told XXL.com exclusively.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here