The man charged with killing the Atlanta rapper Trouble has formally accepted a plea deal, closing out a heartbreaking chapter nearly two years after the longtime adored artist was killed unexpectedly.
Jamichael Jones pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Friday (March 21) for the shooting death of Trouble (real name Mariel Semonte Orr) in June 2022, reports Atlanta News First and Fox5 Atlanta. As part of the agreement, Jones will get a 20-year sentence.
Jones took the plea deal the same day jury selection was to begin in his trial. Hit initially with a litany of serious charges, malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony, criminal property damage, and family battery; Jones eventually copped a plea to felony murder in return for the negotiated sentence.
Although some may interpret the plea agreement as a means for Jones to evade getting sentenced more harshly, at the least, it's still going to put him in prison for the next 20 years for the crime he committed that ultimately led to the rapper's tragic fate.
Trouble was shot and killed outside an apartment complex in Conyers, Georgia, where officers found him lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the same place. The tragic incident arose from a domestic dispute between Jones and a woman who lived at the complex, investigators said.
Jones had recently ended a relationship with the woman, authorities said. That night, Trouble had come to visit her. But it went deadly wrong when Jones allegedly barged into the apartment and found the rapper in bed, asleep.
A violent confrontation ensued, during which Jones was accused of assaulting the woman. Trouble tried to break it up, and in the process, he was shot. Later, officers recovered a spent. 40 caliber shell casing at the scene, but did not find a firearm. Trouble was transported to Rockdale County Piedmont Hospital, where he did not survive his injuries.
Jones was quickly identified as the primary suspect after the shooting, authorities said. Investigators tracked him down through surveillance footage and witness statements. Officers went to his mother's house and contacted him by phone. In a decision Sheriff Eric Levett later said was influenced by his mother, Jones turned himself into authorities a few days later.
Jones has been held in jail without bond since his arrest in 2022. Accepting his guilty plea, he will spend the next two decades behind bars.
Tributes poured in across social media, with fellow musicians and fans mourning the loss of a talent known for his raw storytelling and his passion for the culture. His legacy still lives on through his music and influence on the Atlanta rap scene after his death in June 2022.
While this sentence won't bring Trouble back, his loved ones can take some comfort in the justice served." The plea helps to ensure that his assailant is brought to justice and allows the hip-hop community to move forward, honoring Trouble's legacy in a way that we can only hope helps to stave off tragedies like this in the future.
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