Swedish rapper found guilty of second-degree murder in road rage incident

David Jassy, a rapper and record producer from Sweden, was found guilty Monday of second-degree murder in the death of a pedestrian he was accused of assaulting in a fit of road rage.

He faces 15 years to life at a sentencing next month.

Witnesses said Jassy, 35, punched, kicked and then ran over John Osnes, a 55-year-old jazz pianist, during the November 2008 incident. Osnes, who did not own a car and was an advocate for pedestrian rights, had struck with his hands the front of Jassy’s SUV after it edged into a Hollywood crosswalk. Osnes was pronounced dead at a hospital, and Jassy was arrested later that day after investigators traced the license of his rented vehicle. Jassy’s lawyer argued in court papers that Osnes’ actions were more aggressive than police officers had reported, and sought to reduce his bail from $1 million to between $100,000 and $250,000.

Judge Monica Bachner denied the request for reduced bail, noting that Jassy’s Swedish citizenship made him a flight risk, as did his foreign family ties, which include an 11-year-old son in Sweden, a brother in Italy and other relatives in Gambia.