An aspiring Christian rapper in Maryland could spend decades behind bars for an argument that turned fatal. Ryan Salandy, 26, was convicted of second-degree murder in a Montgomery County Courtroom Tuesday (Sept. 27) for the death of 25-year-old William McDaniel.
Salandy paid McDaniel $300 to burn his music onto 150 CDs last year, but the deal went sour. In reported text messages to McDaniel, Salandy went from asking “When can I get my CDs?” to “I’m going to f*ck you up when I see you.”
According to the Associated Press, McDaniel made music for Salandy, though things got heated following a verbal dispute on September 25, 2015.
Witnesses told authorities that Salandy was speeding towards McDaniel in a silver sedan and fled the scene “after striking the victim’s body.”
Following the fatal incident, Salandy contacted his mother, who told a 911 dispatcher that her son said he “accidentally hit someone.” Police arrested Salandy at his family home hours later.
While he maintains that the hit-and-run wasn’t intentional, Salandy faces up to 30 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced in December 12.