Blueface to plead guilty in connection with strip club shooting
The rapper known as Blueface said Monday that he intends to plead guilty in connection with a shooting outside a Las Vegas strip club in October.
Johnathan Jamall Porter, 26, appeared in court Monday for what was scheduled as a preliminary hearing, when a judge would listen to witness testimony and determine if there was enough evidence for him to stand trial on charges of attempted murder and firing a gun into an occupied vehicle.
Instead, defense attorney Kristina Wildeveld said the rapper would waive his right to the hearing and intended to plead guilty to a felony count of firing a gun into a vehicle and a misdemeanor battery charge.
He is expected to enter the plea during a hearing in District Court on July 3. Chief Deputy District Attorney Nick Portz said prosecutors were not opposed to Porter being sentenced to probation should he plead guilty.
Porter and his attorney declined to comment on the case following Monday’s hearing.
Portz said that, as part of the plea deal, prosecutors also agreed to drop a robbery charge Porter faced in connection with a confrontation earlier this month at the Palms. Wildeveld has said the charge stemmed from an incident when a fan used a cellphone to film Porter’s “longtime friend,” Chrisean Rock, who appeared in a 2022 reality show documenting her relationship with the rapper.
Porter was arrested in connection with the robbery charge when he arrived for a court hearing on June 7.
The October shooting happened outside the Euphoric Gentlemen’s Club at 6370 Windy Road, near Interstate 15 and Sunset Road, in the early morning hours, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
A man identified in a Metro arrest report as Kentabius Traylor flagged down police at Metro headquarters on Oct. 9 to report that he and his vehicle had been shot at the previous day.
Traylor had “what appeared to be a bullet graze wound to his left hand,” the arrest report said.
He said that as he was leaving the strip club, he made a joke to the rapper about Porter “speaking with some females in a cheap vehicle,” the report said. Traylor said he was hit by multiple men he believed to be part of Porter’s entourage, and that someone shot at him when Traylor tried to drive away in his truck.
Police found a bullet in Traylor’s vehicle and two places on the truck that appeared to have been struck by bullets, the report said.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman told Porter on Monday that if he changes his mind and does not plead guilty in District Court, then the case will be scheduled to go to trial.
“Mr. Porter, do wish to accept those negotiations?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” Porter replied.
If Porter successfully completes probation in the case, he will be allowed to withdraw his plea and instead plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to commit a crime, Portz said during court on Monday.
Porter has been out of custody on house arrest since posting a $50,000 bail in November, court records show. As part of the plea deal, Porter will be released from house arrest when he officially pleads guilty, Portz said.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg.
