Toronto Rapper Top5 Released From Prison After Judge Dismisses Social Media Evidence in His Murder Trial
He is now a free man after spending almost three years behind bars.
Toronto rapper Top5, born Hassan Ali, has been released from prison after the judge in the case dismissed social media evidence that prosecutors argued proved he was behind a fatal 2021 shooting.
As reported by CTV News, the rapper was told that the charges were being stayed on Monday, Sept. 23. Arrested on first-degree murder charges in Los Angeles in October 2021, he was accused of fatally shooting 20-year-old Hashim Omar Hashi in January. He was initially arrested in Canada on accessory after the fact to murder charges, but the charges were later upgraded to first-degree murder. Authorities were unable to find him for months until he was arrested by the LAPD.
"An innocent man just came home," he told reporters outside the courthouse on Monday, where he was joined by his lawyer, Gary Grill. He added that he hoped they "find whoever" was responsible for the murder and denied that he was a member of the alleged criminal group, Go Getem Gang. "I'm a businessman," he said.
His lawyer argued that the case was another instance of prosecutors attempting to put rap music on trial, utilizing social media behavior and lyrics from his music.
"It was very, very weak in my opinion," he said of the arguments presented in court. "The problem about prosecuting artists like Mr. Ali based on their music; it fails to understand what the medium is, what's it about, and how drillers approach their audiences. ... It's important for all drillers to portray themselves as the biggest, baddest gangsters on the planet. That's what sells. That's what all drillers are doing."
Top5 was one of the three people charged in the killing. In the unsealed court documents, prosecutors alleged that Hashi was mistaken for the person believed to be responsible for the 2017 killing of Top5's brother, Said Ali.
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Last year, Top5 garnered a lot of attention after he released a music video for his song "21 Questions" from behind bars. "I was 18 when I bought a gun, 22 when I shot your son," he rapped on the track. Before he was arrested, the rapper was believed to have removed his GPS tracking bracelet so he could flee to California.