French rapper MHD appeals murder jail term

French rapper Mohamed Sylla, aka MHD, arrives for the opening of his and eight other men’s trial over a murder committed during a brawl between two rival gangs in Paris in 2018, at the Palais de Justice courthouse in Paris, on Sept. 4, 2023. He was sentenced on Sept. 23, 2023, to 12 years in jail. On Oct. 4, 2023, he appealed the 12-year jail term, his lawyer Antoine Vey said. ALAIN JOCARD / AFP

PARIS—French rapper MHD on Wednesday, Oct. 4, appealed a 12-year jail term handed down last month for the 2018 murder of a young man in Paris, his lawyer Antoine Vey said.

MHD, whose real name is Mohamed Sylla, was sentenced on Sept. 24. The victim was rammed with a car before being set upon by a mob and stabbed to death.

Five of his fellow defendants were also jailed over the killing, receiving jail terms of between 10 and 18 years, over what prosecutors said was a fight between rival gangs.

Four of them have likewise appealed, while the other defendant is currently on the run, a source close to the case said.

Three other men were acquitted of the killing on the night of July 5 of Loic K, 23, run over by a Mercedes in Paris’ tenth district.

The car was found burnt the following day in a parking lot.

Several witnesses placed Sylla at the scene of the crime. A local resident filmed the incident from his window, and the Mercedes was quickly identified as belonging to MHD.

Other witnesses identified him by his haircut or a sweatshirt by Puma—for which he was a brand ambassador—according to investigative reports seen by AFP.

He denies any involvement in the murder.

The pioneer of afro-trap—a mix of hip-hop and African traditions—MHD rose to fame after becoming a viral sensation in 2015.

The 29-year-old was charged with homicide in January 2019 and imprisoned. He was released after a year and a half in custody as investigations continued, and released a new album.

The prosecution had demanded he be slapped with an 18-year term.  /ra