Rap song linked to teen convicted of killing Tim Reynolds raises questions – Fox Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A song appearing to include the teen awaiting sentencing after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter in connection to Timothy Reynolds’ death is raising questions.

A post to Facebook from Aijah Gatson, the teen’s mom, linked to the song in question, titled ‘I had to get it.’

“idk how but this boi check my son out on YouTube and like and subscribe lor3 I had to get it,” Gatson wrote on Facebook on Aug. 12.

The post was made after her son was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and gun charges; the 16-year-old was acquitted of first and second-degree homicide charges after the July 2023 trial.

In July 2022, Reynolds was gunned down at an Inner Harbor intersection after a confrontation with a group of squeegee kids. Armed with a baseball bat, Reynold crossed busy Light Street to confront the boys. Reynolds swung at the group, but he did not hit them, police said. According to police, one of the boys threw a rock at his head. Then as Reynolds stumbled and moved away, police said, the boy, who was 14 years old at the time, proceeded to shoot Reynolds, five times.

During the trial, it was revealed that the teen went across the street and grabbed a gun out of a backpack that was on the ground. The teen was seen on surveillance video grabbing the weapon. The song in question includes what appears to be lyrics that mention those details. The song is difficult to clearly understand, but below is a transcription of one section.

“See all of that bluffing, ya’ll know where I be, we walk the boy down, leave his brains by his feet, ya’ll n—-s be bluffin, we put him to sleep, see under the ground we gonna leave him deceased,” the lyrics indicates. “I got the gats, gonna be out of the backpack, I know he was bluffing, he ain’t get his sh– back, try to run now, you gon get your sh– cracked, f— on this penny b– but you know she fat.”

FOX45 News went to a known address for Gatson on Thursday looking for a comment, but no one came to the door.

Warren Brown, one of the teen’s defense attorneys, said he couldn’t authenticate the song in question and as of the interview, had not talked to his client. However, he said the subject matter of the song doesn’t surprise him.

“If this is in fact attributable to him, he’s a product of his environment,” Brown said. “It’s on par with most of the rap music these days. Talks about guns, talks about violence, glorifies the violence that plagues our city, demeans women. Nothing is surprising in any of that.”

It’s unclear whether the teen recorded the song while incarcerated; the photo attached to the video appears to show the teen with a medical mask pulled down and a yellow jumpsuit. Brown said the audio quality was too clear to be recorded over the phone; his client has been in custody for over a year. The videos were posted to YouTube on Aug. 8, 2023. The teen was found guilty on July 27, 2023.

In a statement to FOX45 News, a spokesperson for Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office said they could not comment because it’s “still a pending legal matter.”

“However, we have full confidence that our prosecutors will be prepared to present strong arguments to the court,” Communications Director James Bentley said via email.

Brown said the defense still plans to try and get the sentencing for his client in the juvenile justice system, noting had his client originally been charged with voluntary manslaughter, it would have been in juvenile court anyway.

The teen faces up to 35 years in prison and it’s unclear if the prosecution will seek the maximum sentence. Brown said he’s hoping for something in the middle of release on home monitor and decades behind bars, noting his client’s age.

Brown said the defense also plans to bring up services and therapy options stemming from his client’s transfer hearing in November 2022. At the end of that hearing, Judge Charles Dorsey ruled the case would stay in the adult court system and described it as “the toughest case” he’s had.

Going through Scott’s history with marijuana use, his history of not attending school, and not taking medication relating to various depression and anxiety diagnoses, Judge Dorsey said Scott is “living an adult lifestyle.”

“This court finds that a person who participated in such a brazen, daylight shooting, would do so in the future given the opportunity,” Judge Dorsey said, adding he thought Scott is “a threat to public safety.”

The judge also took issue with what he said was a lack of remorse for Scott’s actions and empathy for the family of the victim.

Even though the Department of Juvenile Services has programs available to help Scott turn his life around, Judge Dorsey said, “the evidence is overwhelming this defendant is not amenable to treatment because of his lack of willingness.”

“There is no evidence of him being teachable,” Dorsey continued.

If his client is sentenced as an adult, Brown said he will not be “sent off to an adult prison,” noting the teen will stay in a juvenile facility until he turns 18.

Thiru Vignarajah, an attorney for the Reynolds family, said even if the rap song in question is about generic violence and not about Reynolds’ death specifically, “that itself is telling about the kind of violent criminal that we are dealing with.”

“This is not a person whose learned any lessons, who feels any remorse, who appreciates the pain that he’s caused; it’s really disturbing,” Vignarajah said.

In August of 2022, Gatson did an interview with the Baltimore online Instagram account ‘Murder_Ink_Baltimore’ and described her son as someone who was squeegeeing to raise money for his 15th birthday party.

“I don’t understand how my son is in this situation,” Gatson said during the interview. “I think the City failed him because they put so much attention on these squeegee boys. They’re putting water on windows and wiping it off. Why is that worse than a man selling pills to your grandmother?”

The death of Reynolds ignited a city-wide discussion about squeegee kids. Mayor Brandon Scott launched a squeegee collaborative that took effect in January 2022 that banned squeegeeing at certain intersections, including the intersection where Reynolds died.

The teen is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, Oct. 23.

Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.