Rapper arrested on a murder charge after allegedly writing a song and making a music video about the crime
By Jennifer Henderson and Travis Nichols, CNN
(CNN) — A Nevada rapper was arrested on a murder charge after Las Vegas police said he “confessed to the murder in his (song) lyrics.”
Kenjuan McDaniel was arrested August 29 on a charge of open murder with a deadly weapon, a news release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. His bail was set Thursday at $1 million with electronic monitoring, according to court records.
CNN has reached out to McDaniel’s attorney for comment but has not heard back.
McDaniel had been considered a person of interest in the death of Randall Wallace on September 18, 2021, in part due to his connection to a vehicle that matched the description of one used during the crime, according to a redacted arrest warrant.
In July, a detective noticed a music video posted by McDaniel on YouTube and reviewed the lyrics and video, the warrant said.
“Detectives noted the music video bore a sufficient level of similarity to the details of the murder. This includes the fact, that Kenjuan confessed to the murder in his lyrics. … Details provided by Kenjuan in his music video were not released to the public and would not be common knowledge,” the warrant said.
One lyric included in the warrant is, “Parked the car, double back on feet, the smartest way to slide, drove in, double lock yo man, make sure you get yo bod’,” which the warrant states includes details of the killing that were not released to the public. In addition, it states that while McDaniel rapped in the video, he reenacted elements of the killing that were “consistent with evidence at the scene.”
“The facts gathered during the investigation were obtained separately from the music video. The music video further validated the results of the investigation,” it added.
McDaniel has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey contributed to this report.
