Atlanta

‘It’s not fair:’ Victim’s family say Ludacris’ manager, Chaka Zula should not be out on bond

By Tom Jones, WSB-TV
By Tom Jones, WSB-TV

ATLANTA — There are new developments in the case of a well-known music executive recently arrested on murder charges.

The victim’s family says they had to learn from the media that Ahmed Obafemi, aka Chaka Zulu, was charged with murder and quickly bonded out of jail.

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The family of 23-year-old Artez Benton says that added more pain on top of the pain they were already experiencing.

“We are hurting so bad. Y’all would not believe how bad we are hurting,” Bridget Benton, Artez’s mother, told Channel 2′s Tom Jones.

They wonder if Obafemi is getting preferential treatment because of who he is.

“It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all,” Benton’s sister, Bria Benton cried.

The Bentons say no one told them Obafemi would turn himself in last Tuesday for the murder of their loved one.

“The news told me,” Benton’s mother pointed out.

And they say it hurt when the longtime manager of hip-hop star Ludacris quickly bonded out of jail.

“How did he get a bond on murder?’ said Artis Benton, Artez’s father.

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Police say Obafemi shot and killed Benton, wounded another man and choked another after an argument at Buckhead bar Apartment 4-B in June. Obafemi was also shot. His attorney says he was defending himself after he was attacked.

But the Benton family says that based on what they read in the arrest warrants, it sounds like Obafemi was the aggressor.

“To choke someone, hit their head up against the car, then shoot two people, I don’t know,” the father said.

Obafemi’s attorney says witnesses and video surveillance will prove the men attacked him and he fought back.

“We haven’t seen a video. We haven’t seen anything,” Benton’s mother said.

The Benton family says Artez deserves fair and impartial justice. Not just for them, but for his niece and nephew.

“And my kids ask for him all the time where Uncle Tez? Where is Uncle Tez,” Benton’s sister said through tears.

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Channel 2 reached out to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office to find out how Obafemi was able to bond out so quickly. We are waiting for a response.

Meanwhile, Obafemi’s attorney says they will release more information this week that will set the record straight.

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