Drill rapper Unknown T, whose real name is Daniel Lena, has been acquitted of the murder of university student Steve Narvaez-Jara at a New Year's Eve party in London. The 20-year-old rapper was cleared by a jury at the Old Bailey, but two other men were convicted of manslaughter and violent disorder.
The fatal stabbing occurred in the early hours of 1 January 2018 at a house party near Old Street, Islington. The victim, an engineering student at the University of Hertfordshire, was dragged to the floor after an altercation. A Snapchat video of the attack, captioned "beef got crackin", was shown in court, depicting attackers wielding large wooden objects and a machete in a crowded room.
Lena rose to fame after the murder with his hit track 'Homerton B', which has over 20 million YouTube views. He performed the song at the O2 Arena during a Drake concert and collaborated with Brit-nominated rapper AJ Tracey. He was arrested and charged with murder last July, days after performing at the Wireless festival.
In his defence, Lena claimed he had no involvement in the death, did not punch anyone, and was unaware of any machete at the party. The jury cleared him of murder, but co-defendant Ramani Boreland was convicted of manslaughter by a majority verdict, and Mohammed Musse was found guilty of violent disorder. Both will be sentenced later.
This case adds to a pattern of UK drill rappers facing knife-related charges. Lena had previously been cleared of hiding a gun under his bed in 2017. He had criticised media attacks on the drill scene, stating, "They don't understand the reality... It's not about the music, it's about what's behind the music."
