Shawty Redd Found Not Guilty of Murder

Rap producer Shawty Redd can now put his legal troubles behind him. MTV News learned exclusively from Redd's attorney Ashutosh Joshi on Thursday (November 3) that the Atlanta hitmaker has been found not guilty of murder, as well as lesser charges he was hit with after the fatal 2010 New Year's Day shooting of Damon Martin.

The bench trial, which began Monday, was decided by a judge without a jury and concluded Wednesday. On Thursday, Judge Wade Crumbly cleared the "Who Dat" producer (real name: Demetrius Lee Stewart) on all charges relating to Martin's death.

Redd was arrested January 1, 2010, after police responded to a call about an early morning shooting at Stewart's home in Hampton, Georgia. According to police, the producer was involved in a physical altercation at his home with Martin, who was described as an "acquaintance." The confrontation turned physical and Stewart shot and killed Martin, according to the report. Stewart himself called 911 to alert police about the shooting and was arrested a few hours later.

"The defense [in the trial] was clearly self-defense," Joshi told MTV News. "We argued that Redd's life was threatened both verbally and physically, and this occurred in his home and that he shot this gentleman as a result of that."

Shawty Redd got his start producing a number of underground tracks for Young Jeezy, as well as six tracks from his platinum debut Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. He got the most attention working with Snopp Dogg on his 2008 single "Sexual Eruption" and has also worked with Gucci Mane, Pusha T and Rick Ross.

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