Texas rapper OMB Bloodbath has been found guilty at retrial for her role in a 2017 gang-related murder in Houston. On Monday, Aug. 3, the jury returned the verdict following a two-week trial and several hours of deliberation.
After the first case ended in a mistrial in January, the rapper, born Alexandra Nicks, and her codefendant Shaquille Richards were convicted of using a firearm during a racketeering murder and murder in aid of racketeering. The charges stem from their involvement in ordering a gang shooting that resulted in the death of an innocent bystander, 52-year-old Samuel Johnson, nine years ago.
During the trial, the prosecution relied on a variety of evidence, including recorded jail phone calls between Richards and Nicks, text messages, and social media communications. Notably, the second trial included information from Bloodbath’s cellphone that had not been presented during the initial proceedings, which prosecutors suggested helped sway the jury.
“This case is not about shooters,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Zenon-Matos stated during the first day of trial, according to the Houston Chronicle. “This case is about power.”
Prosecutors successfully argued that Bloodbath and Richards served as leaders of Houston’s 100% Third Ward (103) Gang and organized the attempted shooting of a rival gang member in 2017, which ultimately caused Johnson’s death. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 4 and face the possibility of life in prison.
XXL has reached out to OMB Bloodbath’s attorney for comment.
