Posted by Fergus Falls, MN – Rising Toronto rapper Yung Lava pleaded guilted to murder on Wednesday (June 23) after he was found in Minnesota with 67 guns and ammunition in his vehicle, National Post reports.
Yung Lava — real name Dayne Adrian Sitladeen — was pulled over by a Minnesota State Trooper in January for speeding in a rented pickup truck when he was going between 95mph and 100mph in a 75mph zone on Interstate 94. The 29-year-old was on Toronto’s Most Wanted list at the time, with police announcing him as a fugitive in 2019 for the shooting and killing of Blain Grindley in Toronto’s Rexdale neighborhood.
The 29-year-old rapper previously appeared in a documentary starring Drake that denounced Toronto gun violence.
Yung Lava, along with a man named Muzamil Aden Addow who was driving the truck, were found to have traveled to the U.S. illegally. Addow was one of four men accused of kidnapping a wealthy Chinese student north of Toronto in 2019.
Both men originally pleaded not guilty, with lawyers claiming violations of their constitutional rights and a motion to dismiss the charges. Only one of the motions filed ended up being withdrawn, leading to Yung Lava changing to a guilty plea and admitting to the guns in the truck and his unlawful status in the country.
“I’m going to find you mentally competent,” Judge Nancy Brasel said regarding his plea agreement. “You’ve asked good questions here today. I accept your plea and find you guilty as charged.”
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As a result, he could spend a maximum of 10 years in prison with a hefty $250,000 fine. Sentencing guidelines by prosecutors suggest 70 to 87 months behind bars, with the defense calculating 46 to 57 months.
Yung Lava’s latest album Hood Politician was released in May. His video for “Conversation” has over 1.3 million YouTube views, with “It’s My Turn Freestyle” also racking up 1.2 million views on the platform.