It didn’t take a jury long at all to decide Kevin Gates legal fate.
The rapper stood trial in his misdeamenor battery case stemming from him kicking a female fan at a Florida show, footage of which went viral back in August 2015. The whole proceeding lasted all of one day with the case being heard and the jury coming back with a guilty verdict for Gates, who was promptly sentenced to 180 days in jail, per The AP.
The victim, 19-year-old Miranda Dixon, testified that she tugged at Gates’ pants in order to get his attention for a friend while he was performing at Lakeland’s Rumors Nightclub. It was Gates’ response by kicking her that drew immediate outrage online with fans going so far as to start up a petition to ban him from performing in Florida. As a result of the blow, Dixon fell back into the crowd and lost consciousness.
Gates tried to defend himself publicly by saying Dixon grabbed his private parts and even his legal team tried to use Florida’s stand your ground law, which was dismissed by the presiding judge. A jury that included six women found him guilty and the judge in the case sentenced him to 180 days in Polk County jail with credit for time served, plus fines and court costs, according to Florida’s WFLA.
Gates’ attorney Jose Baez argued that his client was battered by the woman. He questioned the seriousness of her injuries during the trial and tried to say her motives were financial since she reportedly has hired a civil attorney.
