Information
Elyjah Marrow, the grandson of popular rapper and actor Ice-T, was involved in a tragic incident back in June 2014 wherein he accidentally shot and killed his roommate Daryus Johnson. Coming from a family with a strong public profile, Marrow held a measure of attention simply from being related and, for a while, from appearing on the reality show Ice Loves Coco, about Ice-T and his wife, Coco Austin. Very quickly, though, the notoriety of being Ice-T’s grandson was eclipsed by a series of events that vastly altered his life and led to a series of criminal charges.
The Incident
On June 24, 2014, 19-year-old Elyjah Marrow was playing with a handgun in his apartment in Marietta, Georgia, he shared with his roommate, 19-year-old Daryus Johnson. According to the police report, Marrow was “messing with” the gun when it went off, striking Johnson in the chest. He was unconscious upon the arrival of emergency services. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead.
Officer David Baldwin with the Marietta Police Department said about the incident that reckless firearm safety on the part of Marrow was the leading cause of the accidental shooting. As Officer Baldwin explained, “ultimately, his reckless handling of the weapon caused the death of Johnson.”
Elyjah Marrow’s grandfather: Ice-T
Tracy Lauren Marrow, better known by his stage name Ice-T, was born on February 16, 1958, in Newark, New Jersey. He is an innovator of gangsta rap and a quite successful actor. Following the early deaths of both his parents, he was brought up in Los Angeles, where he got involved with street life and became a member of the West Side Rollin 30s Original Harlem Crips. After a brief stint in the army, he embarked on his journey into music and became an integral part in the structuring of West Coast hip-hop. With political, raw singles, such as “Cop Killer,” it wasn’t before long that Ice-T started to cause controversy in the early 1990s. He also loaned himself to the small and big screen, finding the most success with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Detective Odafin Tutuola. A year of tragedy was 2014 when his grandson, Elyjah Marrow, accidentally shot his roommate. Despite that tragedy, Ice-T still influences both the music and television worlds.
Criminal Charges
Elyjah Marrow was arrested on counts of involuntary manslaughter among other serious offenses. Involuntary manslaughter typically refers to when one, through recklessness or negligence, accidentally causes another person’s death. That is the case here because Marrow mishandled the firearm that caused Johnson’s death.
Among the counts included several charges. In addition to involuntary manslaughter, he faced other charges such as:
– Possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony
– Reckless conduct
– Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute
– Possession of marijuana more than an ounce
– Theft by receiving stolen property
The stolen property charge related to the gun used during the shooting, believed to have been stolen before the incident. Marrow’s possession of the weapon further complicated his legal standing and led to additional charges.
Legal Proceedings
Elyjah Marrow was indicted in 2015 after his arrest. He had a long legal battle in front of him. Several medias gave a wide interest to the case: firstly, Marrow is Ice-T’s blood relative, and secondly, because of the conditions that occurred during the shooting. Since the indictment, Marrow’s fate was hung in the balance until he faced the charges pending over him in court.
Throughout the legal proceedings, Marrow remained in custody, and the public’s attention remained focused on the outcome of the case. His involvement in both the shooting and the possession of illegal substances added layers of complexity to the case, with the potential for a significant sentence if convicted.
Net Worth and Public Profile
On the other hand, Elyjah Marrow was not that lucky with money, unlike his grandfather, a very rich entertainer named Ice-T. Elyjah Marrow’s net worth at the time of the incident is not very well known or published publicly. But presumably, his financial standing should be small since he is young and only starting his career in the face of the public eye. That fleeting popularity arrived with his stint on Ice Loves Coco, but it didn’t really translate into long-term, high-profile opportunities and fortune.
Marlow’s name had become inextricably linked with the shooting incident and any potential money-making opportunities he had with his brief moment of fame from reality television were overshadowed by the legal battles he had ahead of him.
Conclusion
The case of Elyjah Marrow’s involvement in the accidental shooting of his roommate, Daryus Johnson, is a sad, instructive tale of the consequences of reckless firearm use. Otherwise known for being Ice-T’s grandson and also one of the casts of Ice Loves Coco, this tragic incident thrust him into the public spotlight for entirely different reasons. Facing involuntary manslaughter, illegal possession of a firearm, among other charges, the future for Marrow was in jeopardy pending the outcome of these charges. Again and again, this is another case that demonstrates fire-arm use should be done responsibly and the life-changing impacts it can have when a bit of negligence takes place while using such a weapon.