The names of Marshall Bruce Mathers III, 43, professionally known as Eminem, and his protégé Curtis James Jackson III, professionally known as 50 Cent, were mentioned in a murder case recently heard at a court in Ireland. The accused, who apparently had delusional thoughts about the "Psycho" rappers, was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Michael Gannon, 55, was babysitting his daughter's children on Nov. 14, 2013 when he was stabbed to death by Dragos Nica, 30. The accused, who is from Bacau, Romania, and the victim were neighbors in Mourne Park, Skerries, County Dublin.
Nica had formed a belief that he had been poisoned by Gannon's daughter, who had a brief relationship with him. The accused had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and in a recent three-day trial, the verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity by the jury was unanimous.
After a medical officer's examination, Nica is set to appear in court again on Feb. 15. He is committed to the Central Mental Hospital.
The verdict by the jury was consistent with the evidence, Irish Examinerquoted Justice Tony Hunt as saying. He added that Nica needs in-patient care.
The jury was told by a psychiatrist who had interviewed Nica that he has chronic paranoid schizophrenia. The psychiatrist said that cannabis use partially drove him at the time of the murder.
After taking cannabis, Nica started hallucinating that the poison from Gannon's daughter was bulging in his arm on the day of the stabbing. Feeling he was about to die, the accused pleaded with Eminem and 50 Cent to avenge his death before he stabbed Gannon, Dublin's 98 FM reported.
Four years before the murder, Eminem and 50 Cent collaborated in the song "Psycho." Watch their live performance of the song here: