Rap lyrics served as evidence in a murder trial stemming from a fatal altercation at an Olive Garden in South Carolina.

Gonzales “Snoop” Wardlaw, 22, was sentenced to life in prison Friday in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Thomas T. Hoefer after a pot deal went awry. He boasted about the murder in rap lyrics.

The lesson here is clear: never underestimate the power of words – or hubris.

Wardlaw went to an Olive Garden parking lot to purchase pot from Hoefer (probably followed by a basket of bottomless breadsticks). But instead, he fatally shot Hoefer in the chest, reportedly because he was unhappy with the quality of the weed, The State reports.

During the course of the investigation, authorities uncovered very telling rap lyrics in Wardlaw’s home that ultimately tied him to the shooting.

Those lyrics included said “hit ’em in his chest” and “caught ’em at da Olive Garden.” The second verse continued, saying that “the penalty for slighting the author is death.”

The Lyrics Are Not Hearsay Evidence

While it may seem surprising, the lyrics don’t actually present hearsay issues because they involve an admission by a party-opponent.

To be admitted as a party admission, the statement needs to be harmful. It’s pretty safe to say that “hit ’em in his chest” and “caught ’em at da Olive Garden” are harmful statements, considering the victim was fatally shot in the chest… at an Olive Garden…

With a lyrical smoking gun, it’s quite literally a form of poetic justice.

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Related Resources:

  • Investigation: Uncovered rap lyrics chronicled man’s shooting death (Columbia’s WISTV)
  • Cops Forced Man to Rap for His Freedom, Lawsuit Claims (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)
  • Army Specialist Jailed for Rap Song Lyrics Against Military Policy (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)
  • YouTube Rap Video Gets Teen’s Football Scholarship Revoked (FindLaw’s Tarnished Twenty)

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