Rapper 23 Brazy was sentenced to 58 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the 2023 shooting that killed 10-year-old La’Marj Holden during a violent dispute in Franklin, Virginia.
The 24-year-old rapper avoided a potential 93-year sentence through a plea deal that included suspended time on several charges.
According to court documents, 23 Brazy received 40 years for second-degree murder, 20 years for aggravated malicious wounding with 15 suspended, and two 10-year terms for attempted first-degree murder and firing into an occupied building, both of which were fully suspended.
The shooting unfolded on August 9, 2023, when 23 Brazy and three others showed up at a home on Artis Street. Franklin police said an argument broke out between the rapper and a man at the residence. Gunfire erupted. Both the man and La’Marj were hit. The man survived. La’Marj did not.
The case triggered a nationwide manhunt that stretched more than 10 months.
The U.S. Marshals Service took over the search at the request of Franklin police. Investigators tracked leads across multiple states before locating 23 Brazy on June 18 at the Brookside Square Apartments in Boykins, Virginia, just 20 miles from the shooting scene.
She was found living with a relative who, according to federal authorities, was knowingly harboring her. When agents arrived, the relative opened the door and exited. She surrendered without resistance.
“This complex investigation is another example of the tenacity and never-give-up attitude of Deputy U.S. Marshals and our state and local law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Marshals Senior Inspector Robert Bowers. “It is my hope the efforts of the investigators in this case will provide a small amount of comfort to the family of the victim in this case.”
Franklin Police Chief Steve Patterson also acknowledged the federal team’s role in closing the case.