Rick Ross Thanks His Lawyers After Prosecutors Drop the Felony Strangulation Charge for Insufficient Evidence
Prosecutors in Miami-Dade have dropped the most serious charge in the domestic-violence case against Rick Ross — but the case itself is not over.
Story: PEOPLE and the Miami-Dade court reporting; Ross’s video via HotNewHipHop (@HotNewHipHop).
On October 29, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office filed paperwork dropping the felony battery-by-strangulation charge against Ross, citing insufficient evidence. Ross’s lead attorney, Steve Sadow, confirmed the development to PEOPLE.
Ross, 50, responded in a video posted online, thanking the lawyers handling his case. He called Sadow “the number one attorney in the game,” saying Sadow is “always bringing the truth to light,” and he credited Miami attorney Bradley Horenstein as well: “he had his boots on the ground making things happen, connecting all the dots.”
The case began on October 1, when Ross surrendered to Miami Beach police and was arrested on the felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor battery count, both classified as domestic violence. The charges stem from an alleged incident on August 28 involving a woman Ross had been in a relationship with for about a year and was living with. She is identified in court documents by the initials J.K. only.
Ross has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied the allegations from the start. Sadow’s position is that Ross is “being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear,” and the defense points to the timeline: the accuser did not file a police report until September 29 — about a month after the alleged August 28 incident. Ross was released on a $5,000 bond; at his first court appearance, Judge Mindy Glazer told him she had no idea who he was and that he would be treated like everybody else.
What happens next is still to be decided. Misdemeanor charges from the same case remain pending, and Ross’s not-guilty plea stands. A charge dropped for insufficient evidence is not an acquittal, and the remaining allegations have not been decided in court.
How do you see the rest of this case playing out? Keep it respectful in the comments.
