Update: TMZ now reports that earlier implications that Nicki Minaj would testify in her brother’s case were false. Apparently, someone connected with Maraj’s defense falsely advised news outlets that she would be testifying in his defense; however, a TMZ source close to Nicki herself advised that she will not be participating in the case at all. Whether or not this puts paid to the wave of backlash against her online remains to be seen.
Jehlani Maraj, the older brother of rap superstar Nicki Minaj, is currently on trial for charges of child rape, and now details of the alleged abuse are coming to light thanks to the testimony of the accuser’s younger brother. According to The Sun, the 10-year-old testified that he walked in on Maraj in the act of having sex with his sister when he was 8 years old and she was 11.
“What happened was I was looking for [her],” the boy said, “My pencil broke and I didn’t have any others.” He says that upon coming across Maraj and the alleged victim, he noticed that his sister’s pants were “around her ankles,” and that he “saw [Maraj’s] underwear close to his knees.” He further elaborated that “I thought it wasn’t right. It looked weird to me so I ran upstairs.”
“He asked me if I had seen anything. I said, ‘Yes,'” the boy said. “He slapped me on the cheek.” He also states that Maraj threatened the boy into silence by telling him “I wouldn’t see her again if I told on him,” he said. “His face was kind of mad.”
Dave Schwartz, the attorney for the defense, tried to get the boy to admit that the lights were off in order to cast doubt on his recollection, asking, “You would agree that when the light is not on, the room is very dark?” “Yes,” the boy answered. Schwart defense rests on the claim that the allegations were fabricated by the accuser and her mother to extort $25 million from Nicki Minaj in order to make the charges “go away.”
However, Dr. Aaron Miller, an expert witness for the prosecution, seemingly corroborated at least part of the boy’s story after examining some of the evidence. “I can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that [the girl’s] medical exam can prove penetration.”
Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj has been taking heat online for her intent to testify in her brother’s defense, and for giving her mother $100,000 in order to post his bail.
