LONDON—A drill artist associated with a London gang produced a song a few weeks after a murder that contained incriminating evidence about a gun used in the killing which even the police did not know at the time, a trial has heard.
Prosecutor Anthony Orchard, KC, said ballistics evidence would later show the gun used to kill Mr. Boothe had also been used to shoot and injure his older brother, Kyle.
On Monday, Mr. Orchard told the jury: “In a drill music video recording, called ‘Laughing Stock,’ released in September 2022, the fact the same gun was used to shoot both Kyle Boothe and Kacey Boothe was referenced in the lyrics.”
He added: “Be aware that, at that time, not even the police knew the same gun had been used. The forensic evidence linking the two shootings only became available after the recording was released.”
He said the recording was released by one of the defendants, Kammar Henry-Richards, 24, who was a drill artist known as Kay-O.
Mr. Henry-Richards, Ka-Amni Brightly-Donaldson, 22, his half-brother Kadeem Brightly-Barnes, 30, Jeffrey Gyimah, 20, Roody Thomas, 25, and Joao Pateco-Te, 26, all deny murder and conspiracy to murder.
All six also deny possession of a firearm in August 2022 and Mr. Gyimah, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Brightly-Donaldson deny conspiracy to possess a firearm on Sept. 28, 2022, and conspiracy to possess crack and heroin on the same date.
Drill Lyrics Mentioned ‘Same Sig’
The prosecutor told the jury the song was remixed at least twice and he read out excerpts of the lyrics from a remix that was produced on Sept. 22, 2022.In it Kay-O rapped: “Big ... Boothe and Little ... got hit, same Sig, that’s a sour family. Both got slapped at functions, neck and head, handguns come handy.”
Mr. Orchard said: “In other words, a boast was being made that the same ‘Sig’ (gun) had been used to shoot both Kacey Boothe and his elder brother, Kyle Boothe. This fact was known only to those involved in the shootings and not to the police at that time.”
The prosecutor said in another version produced on the same day, Kay-O sang: “Big Boothe shoulda lurked, got his neck back ripped. Lil’ **** got burst, shoulda bin with his... [inaudible].”
A SIG Sauer is a German brand of handgun.
The drive-by shooting took place near Peterhouse Community Centre, where a children’s party was taking place.
On Friday, Mr. Orchard said: “The shooting was a well-planned and carefully orchestrated attack. It took place against a background of a series of violent incidents, including shootings, arising from the rivalry between two Hackney gangs, London Fields, with which Kacey Boothe and his friend Khalid Samanter associated, and the E9’ers—also known as Holly Street—with which these defendants associated.”
Jaguar E-Paces Used as Getaway Cars
Mr. Orchard said the grey Jaguar E-Pace getaway car that was used in the Aug. 2, 2022 attack was stolen from the driveway of a house in Ponders End, north London, on June 27, 2022.The jury was shown a clip from a doorbell camera of the car being stolen by a masked man who, the prosecutor claimed, was Mr. Pateco-Te.
The prosecutor said cloned registration plates—plates which matched a real but not stolen Jaguar E-Pace—were then put on the vehicle so the gang could drive it around without being stopped by police.
Mr. Orchard said: “Police established that at the time of the shooting Kadeem Brightly-Barnes was wearing a GPS electronically-monitored tag. The GPS tag data shows that at 7:45 p.m. he was in the general vicinity of the shooting ... Data shows his tag was located there either side of the shooting.”
He said that on the day after the shooting of Mr. Samanter’s neighbour, “the Jaguar was broken up into pieces for resale” after being delivered to a motor trader in Essex.
Mr. Orchard said the gang stole another Jaguar E-Pace on Aug. 11—this time a black one—and it was this car that was used in the shooting of Mr. Boothe and then disposed of in the same way.
The trial is expected to last at least two months.
