Ryan Salandy, an aspiring Maryland rapper who goes by the stage name Ry Money, was sentenced on Monday to 18 years in prison for the second-degree murder of music producer William McDaniel. He had been convicted of the charge in September, one year after the incident in question. Salandy has been found guilty of executing a hit-and-run attack with his silver Saab that ended in the death of McDaniel, with whom he worked on music. Salandy is apparently a Christian rapper, reports CBS 6 News.
The tragic attack was a result of a conflict that began over CDs, as Salandy had allegedly paid McDaniel $300 to burn 150 CDs containing his music, reports XXL, but the negotiation did not play out as Salandy had intended. Multiple witnesses heard the two collaborators arguing about the CDs, according to court docs.
After a verbal altercation, Salandy sped away from Sweetspire Drive in Clarksburg, MD, only to return moments later. Authorities believe he intentionally drove his vehicle into McDaniel, whilst traveling at a speed between 37 and 49 miles per hour at the time of impact. McDaniel apparently rolled over the hood of Salandy's car and was sent flying into the air upon being hit. Police discovered him at the scene with fatal injuries.
About 30 minutes after finding McDaniel's body, police were able to find and arrest Salandy at his mother's home. In fact, his mother was the one who contacted them. "Yes, Hi. I just got a call from my son, he accidentally hit someone in Clarksburg. My son was speeding and the person jumped in front of the car,” she said on the 911 call. Salandy is presumed to have arrived at his mother's house soon thereafter. He would admit to deliberately hitting McDaniel after he was taken into custody.
McDaniel was 21 at the time of his death, whereas Salandy is now 23. In giving him 18 years and a second-degree murder charge, the judge decided that Salandy had not intended the hit-and-run to result in McDaniel's death.