12-Year-Old Fort Worth Rapper Allegedly Shot a 1-Year-Old and Committed Arson

A virtual Tarrant County court trial held in September went viral over the weekend and brought renewed attention to a 12-year-old Fort Worth rapper with a criminal history.

The juvenile, who has gone by the stage names Lil Rodney, Baby Savage and 30Shotz, allegedly committed arson, shot a 1-year-old baby (who survived)  and violated the terms of his probation by cutting off his ankle monitor. For these charges, Judge Alex Kim of the 323rd District Court in Fort Worth sentenced him to seven years in a juvenile detention facility, even as the defendant, in tears, pleaded for clemency.

“Rodney, I’m really tired of you lying to me. Every time you come in here, you cry. You know that, right?” Kim said sternly. “Every single time, you beg me for one more chance. You swear to God, ‘On my momma’s name, I’m not gonna cut off the monitor, I’m not gonna run off.’ Every single time.”

According to prosecutors, Rodney fled his probation on Aug. 14. In the weeks since, was caught smoking weed and a picture in which he posed with a firearm appeared online. He also shared a screenshot of a social media video with the caption, “Fuck Judge Kim.”

“You know, once you put something on the internet, it doesn’t come down,” Kim said.

At the hearing’s conclusion, Kim beseeched Rodney to have more gratitude for his grandfather, who acted as his legal guardian during the court proceedings.

“Your papa is a wise man. You know that?” the judge said. “He is here every single time you have a detention hearing. Every single time. Because he loves you and cares about you. But you’re out there thinking that there’s something better than the home that he’s providing you.”

According to blogger Sandra Rose, Rodney’s mother was 16 when he was born, and the family was subsequently abandoned by his father. The mother said in an interview that she was incarcerated twice while he was a toddler. In an August interview with Beezy TV, Rodney alleged that his brother was also incarcerated (but he also lied about his age by claiming that he was 14).

The Zoom conference led by Kim achieved online virality after a blog called KollegeKidd reported on it and shared the video on Instagram.

You can watch the video of the Zoom conference below: