JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The jury has been selected in the high profile gun possession trial for Noah Williams, a Jacksonville rapper known as Spinabenz. Williams is featured on the viral song 'Who I Smoke,' which falls under the genre of drill rap, also called murder rap. These songs feature alleged gang members celebrating the deaths of rival gang members.
Six jurors and two alternates were chosen from a pool of 49 after several hours of questioning. The six member jury is composed of one man and five women, two of whom appear to be people of color.
Williams faces up to 30 years
Williams faces charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In a separate case, he is being charged with tampering with a monitoring device after police say he removed his ankle bracelet while on house arrest.
If Williams is found guilty, the next step in his case will be deciding whether his charges will be enhanced because of his gang affiliation. Police say he is a documented member of violent street gang 187 Boys.
He faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty on the gun charges -- but a gang enhancement could double that time, meaning the 24-year-old could be looking at a 30-year sentence.
Williams' status as a felon comes from a 2017 conviction on witness tampering charges. Court records show he threatened a woman who his brother, Reginald Williams (whose rap name is Whoppa Wit Da Choppa), was convicted of raping. He told her that until her brother was out of jail, he would "terrorize her," according to court records.
Williams entered the courtroom in a tailored suit and tie, sporting a short hair cut after apparently cutting off his signature locks. He took notes and actively participated in choosing the jurors, giving his opinions to his attorneys.
When he was taken out of the courtroom for a lunch break, he smiled at his family and made a heart with his hands.
Jury did not recognize Williams
Assistant State Attorney Lauren Anderson, leading the prosecution, told the jury that Williams is a rapper who goes by Spinabenz and asked if anyone recognized that name. No one in the jury pool recognized Williams.
She also asked if Williams being a rapper would affect anyone's ability to evaluate the case. No potential jurors testified that it would.
The prosecution also asked potential jurors: Had they heard of Reddit? Were they familiar with the Duval Reddit thread, which often mentions Williams and other rappers? Did they know an Instagram page called DuvalPromo, which sometimes posts content about Williams?
While some said that they had seen these social media pages, no potential jurors testified they had seen Williams online before.
During the defense's questioning, Williams attorney David Bigney asked the jury pool what kinds of things would prejudice them against Williams. Did they assume guilt if they saw someone in handcuffs? Did they believe a person could be "guilty by association"?
Bigney also asked what kind of evidence jurors would feel the need to see to make a decision. "Does anybody need to hear from Noah?" he asked, to which a few people raised their hands, indicating 'yes.' However, when pressed, jurors said that if he did not testify, but his team made a strong case, they wouldn't need to hear from him.
Jurors said they would like to see the firearm itself, fingerprints on the firearm, a photo of the firearm and possibly a video showing Williams with the firearm.
Court is back in session Tuesday at 10 a.m.
