Rapper Gucci Mane waives court appearance on murder charge

<p>Rapper Gucci Mane waived his appearance at a scheduled hearing in DeKalb County court Friday on a murder charge.</p><p>Mane's Atlanta-based attorney, Dennis Scheib, informed Magistrate Court judge Joan Roach that Mane had waived his right for the scheduled reading of the charge. Instead, Scheib said he represented Mane for a private reading of the charge in Roach's chambers Friday.</p><p>Mane, whose real name is Radric Davis, remains in DeKalb County Jail until a bond hearing. Scheib said the bond hearing has been scheduled for July 5, but he said he was hopeful the hearing could be held as early as Monday.</p><p>"That's tentative," Scheib said.</p><p>Mane was to face charges just days before the expected release of his debut album.</p><p>The charge accuses him of the May 10 shooting death of Henry Clark, said DeKalb police spokesman Herschel Grangent.</p><p>The 25-year-old's album, "Trap House" is expected to be released Tuesday. A publicist for Atlanta-based Big Cat Records, where it is believed Mane records, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.</p><p>Clark's body was found May 13 in the woods near Columbia Middle School, Grangent said. Grangent would not say what linked Clark's death to Mane.</p><p>Scheib said the rapper was at a home on May 10 in DeKalb County with a woman and a male friend when five men came to the house and attacked them. The attorney said the shooting was in self-defense, as Mane grabbed a gun on a table and traded fire with one of the attackers.</p><p>The men fled and Mane did not know that any were injured, his attorney said. He also did not know the attackers but believed they were associated with rival rapper Young Jeezy.</p><p>"I think police need to look deeper into this case instead of just looking into my client," Scheib said.</p><p>Mane did not contact police after the attack, the attorney said.</p><p>"Sometimes black people feel that if they call the police, it's going to come down on them," Scheib said. "People handle things differently."</p><p>The rapper learned about the murder warrant on Wednesday and returned to Atlanta to face the charges Thursday night from New York, where he had been performing.</p><p>Mane is known for the songs, "So Icy," and "Black Tee."</p>