Miami rapper who fatally shot her manager’s friend claims self-defense

Crime admin July 23, 2026 0 Comments

Miami rapper who fatally shot her manager’s friend claims self-defense

A Miami rapper accused of gunning down her manager’s friend during a night out promoting her music is claiming that she acted in self-defense because the two men attacked and threatened her, court records say.

Kevhani Camilla Hicks, 29, is arguing that her second-degree murder charge should be dismissed under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, according to a court document filed Wednesday. The Stand Your Ground law allows a person to use deadly action if they feel their life is threatened.

“Ultimately, the objective physical evidence, witness testimony, and contemporaneous admissions, demonstrate that Ms. Hicks’s actions were not criminal conduct, but a necessary act of survival,” defense attorney Marissa Altman-Glatzer said in the filing.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Lody Jean on Thursday set a hearing on the motion for Aug. 31.

On Oct. 9, 2023, Hicks, who goes by the stage name Key Vhani, and manager Nathan Smith stopped at several venues in Miami to hand out promotional flyers and business cards to advertise Hicks’ music. Smith’s friend, Demitrie Harris, tagged along.

But the night ended in a barrage of bullets after Hicks broke free from Smith and Harris, who had pinned her to the ground, according to the document.

Parts of the incident involving Hicks, Smith and Harris — and the subsequent gunfire — were captured on surveillance footage.

What precipitated the gunfire?

Hours before the shooting, Hicks, Smith and Harris were in Smith’s car heading to the Red Rooster, a restaurant in Overtown. Hicks didn’t know Harris before that night, although she and Smith met years before when he was a music promoter and discovered her on Instagram.

Harris left her purse — which held her gun — in the car’s trunk, and the trio went into the restaurant. Hicks passed out flyers at the restaurant for about an hour-and-a-half but then headed to the Wynwood Walls, which was about a seven-minute drive away.

During the car ride, Harris became “increasingly hostile,” screaming, cursing and swinging his arms, according to the document. Harris made sexual advances, which Hicks rebuffed.

When they arrived, Hicks exited the vehicle to grab her purse from the trunk, but Smith refused to open it, according to the filing. While “visibly irate” and shouting, Smith eventually opened the trunk and hit Hicks in the chest. It’s unclear from court records why the men were upset.

Smith grabbed Hicks near her throat and slammed her into the car and onto the pavement, according to Hicks’ attorney. The filing mentions that Smith testified in a deposition that he and Hicks had a “scuffle.”

Harris then got out of the car and pinned Hicks down by the arms, the defense’s filing states. Harris straddled Hicks and held onto her jeans so she couldn’t move, according to the document.

Smith ultimately pulled Harris off of Hicks, and she got away from the men, the document states. But as she walked away, Harris said, “keep talking that s—, I’ll kill you with one shot,” the filing says.

That’s when Hicks reached into her purse, pulled out her handgun and fired, according to the document. Harris turned toward Hicks, reached into his pocket and took out an object that Hicks believed was a gun after Hicks fired the first time. It’s unclear from court records whether Harris had a weapon on him.

The rapper continued firing “single controlled shots without emptying her weapon until she was sure the threat was neutralized,” the document states. Surveillance video, however, shows Harris running away as Hicks shoots at him. Harris was struck by bullets three times.

After the gunfire, Smith rammed his car into Hicks, according to the filing. Hicks asked bystanders to call 911, and she was taken to a hospital with three fractured ribs. Smith was not charged in connection to the incident.

The rapper gave detectives a detailed statement describing the incident but was arrested later that day after detectives reviewed footage from several surveillance cameras, according to her arrest report.

Hicks, the filing says, had a concealed-weapons license, went through firearms training and had never fired her weapon prior to the shooting.

She has been on house arrest since November 2023, when she was granted a bond, court records indicate. She is required to wear a GPS monitor and must be back at her residence by 9 p.m.

Hicks’ trial is set for Sept. 14 if her self-defense claim fails.