The man accused of killing an Atlanta-based rapper will spend the next 25 years in jail.
A Fulton County jury acquitted Vinson Hardimon of murder and felony murder, causing someone’s death while committing a felony. It convicted him of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a handgun during a felony in the Dec. 21, 2011 death of Mario Hamilton, also known as rapper Slim Dunkin.
In handing down the maximum sentence, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall cited a gun incident involving Hardimon, 29, that occurred eight months before Hamilton’s death.
“I just think he’s prone to carry a gun, and he’s violent and dangerous,” Schwall said.
Prosecutors said Hardimon shot Hamilton, 24, during a fight at Hardimon’s east Atlanta studio. Witnesses said that after the two were separated Hamilton, unarmed, rushed at Hardimon and Hardimon shot him.
Hamilton’s father, Mark Hamilton, said, “I’m disappointed with that verdict. I don’t know what (the jury) saw.” Burt, “In the end, he got 25 years and we can have some closure.”
In this case, aggravated assault was the charge underlying the felony murder count. Typically, juries find that guilt for a felony murder and the underlying felony go hand-in-hand. But Fulton assistant district attorney Linda Dunikoski said Schwall made an exception in this case.
“The jury asked about this, and the Court’s response, as agreed to by defense counsel, was that each charge was to be considered individually,” Dunikoski said.
Hardimon’s mother, Anna Gail Hardimon, said, “My son has been made out to be a horrible person,” and, “His dream was taken from him, along with his time with his children.”
But Dunikoski noted his earlier arrest in a case involving the gun later used to shoot Hamilton.
When Hamilton was killed, Hardimon was free on bond after a charge of aggravated assault. He was accused in April 2011 of holding a gun on his ex-girlfriend and her 16-year-old daughter. Later, while jailed in the Hamilton case, he entered an “Alford” guilty plea, not admitting guilt but only that a prosecutor might find enough evidence to persuade a jury to convict him.
“While out on bond for those charges, he committed this crime with the very same handgun,” Dunikoski said, asking for the maximum sentence. “The state is asking you to send a message.”
Defense attorney Max Hirsch countered that the jury’s verdict did not call for such a steep reprimand. “The key point is to honor the jury’s wishes,” he said.
Schwall said, “The problem I’ve got is that we’ve got a gun incident …Then we take the gun, and it’s in a subsequent crime.
“There are two kinds of criminals,” he said. “The ones we’re mad at and the ones we’re scared of. My job is to protect society from the ones we’re afraid of.”
About the Author
