Rapper Kidd Creole fatally stabbed a homeles man in Midtown because he thought he was hitting on him and feared that he would rob him, prosecutors said in court Thursday.
Kidd Creole, whose real name is Nathaniel Glover, was walking to work from Grand Central when he got into an argument with 55-year-old John Jolly near East 43rd Street and Third Avenue at about 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
Jolly allegedly sparked the confrontation when he said, “What’s up?” prosecutors said Glover had said in a statement.
Glover, 57, continued walking but Jolly approached and they argued, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at a news conference on Thursday.
That’s when Glover pulled a steak knife that was attached to his forearm with rubber bands and stabbed Jolly twice in the chest, prosecutors said.
The wounded Jolly then walked to Lexington Avenue where a surveillance camera showed him taking a swig of beer, with a red spot on his shirt, according to the chief. He collapsed at 44th Street, prompting passersby to call 911, he added.
Jolly was transported to Bellevue Hospital Center where he died.
Police tracked Glover down to his place of work and he admitted that he had stabbed Jolly with a steak knife and later threw the weapon into a sewer, prosecutors and police said.
Glover was charged with second-degree murder, held without bail and is due back in court on Aug. 8, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
Glover was part of the 1980s rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Bronx-born group is credited with helping to shape early hip-hop in the 1970s and ’80s with its turntable prowess, sound effects and other mix moves.
The group split up in 1984 over business disagreements after a string of hits including “New York, New York” and “Scorpio.” Kidd Creole stuck with DJ Grandmaster Flash to record under his name, but their momentum was lost.
Jolly served several years in prison after being convicted of rape in 1997, New York Department of Corrections records show. He also served time for criminal possession of a weapon in 2008, according to the records.
With Newsday
