The music world took an unexpected and disturbing turn when one of Florida's breakout stars of rap, Real Boston Richey, was arrested, leaving the fledgling artist to face imaginable legal outcomes that could drastically change the course of his life.
On April 14, Richey was reportedly booked in Florida into federal custody for breaching the terms of his pretrial release and, more seriously, for allegedly attacking his pregnant ex-girlfriend in Houston.
The Tallahassee-born artist, whose legal troubles are already accumulating amid a pending federal drug case, visited Houston on March 29 and 30 without court permission, according to court records. Even that act constituted a violation of his pretrial conditions. But what happened next is where things got even darker.
Richey's ex-girlfriend, Tatiana Chanell, who was two months pregnant at the time, filed a felony complaint accusing him of a cruel beating outside Sekai nightclub on March 31.
Chanell told investigators in a traumatic statement that Richey choked her about 20 times during that time while in the car. She recounted losing consciousness several times, vomiting, and at one point stopping breathing. Most chilling was her account of a threat that Richey allegedly made: "If you call the police, I might as well kill you."
In a widely shared video circulated online, Richey was seen around the time of the alleged incident, allegedly snatching Chanell's phone outside the club. Though the footage doesn't capture the alleged assault itself, it has only intensified public scrutiny and worry.
The federal magistrate in Richey's case didn't dismiss the accusations lightly. The judge determined that the evidence satisfied the probable cause standard for a new felony charge. That ruling cited a legal opinion that no conditions ensuring his release could sufficiently protect the public if Richey were re-released.
For fans of Real Boston Richey, whose corner men, many thought, included him among the next voices of Southern rap, the news hits hard. His hard-nosed style and unvarnished storytelling have gained traction, but this week's developments have left a dark pall over his career.
The court system will decide the legality of their actions, but the human cost is already apparent. Tatiana Chanell's account is a deeply troubling portrait, and the gravity of the charges attests to growing awareness and less tolerance of intimate partner violence across all walks of life, including in the music industry.
For the moment, Real Boston Richey is still in federal custody, and both his musical and personal futures are undetermined.
0 Comments