Sky Balla is now facing more sexual assault charges in Las Vegas after two more women accused the Bay Area rapper of violent attacks similar to an incident at the Aria resort in 2021, prosecutors confirmed.
The new accusations add to the already troubling case of Sky Balla, whose real name is Sky Nathan Branklyn. The 45-year-old artist has previously been charged in connection with an attack at the High Limit Lounge in Aria in June 2021. A woman told police she met a man who called himself “Sky” at a bar and had a few drinks before she passed out.
She later woke up in her hotel room feeling severe pain as the man sexually assaulted her. According to the arrest report, “Investigators later discovered large amounts of blood in the room, which the hotel classified as a biohazard.”
The woman told police she tried to resist and tell him to stop, but he hit her in the face until she lost consciousness again. She said she came to when he tried to force himself into her mouth. She eventually crawled to the bathroom and hid in the dark for two hours before convincing him to let her leave. He called her an Uber, police said.
Bracklin was initially charged with two counts of sexual assault causing serious bodily injury, two counts of sexual assault and one count of battery by strangulation with intent to commit sexual assault. He pleads not guilty.
Now, KLAS-TV reports, two more women have come forward with eerily similar stories. Both men said their encounter with Bracklin began consensually but escalated into violence. Prosecutors said the similarities between their accounts and Aria’s case were striking.
Bracklin’s criminal record dates back more than 20 years. He was convicted of sexual battery in Hayward, Calif., in 2002 and violent rape in Huntington Beach in 2008, court documents show. He is currently listed as a registered sex offender in California.
A separate incident occurred in Las Vegas in 2006, but charges were never filed because the woman involved refused to pursue the case, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Branklyn has been part of the Bay Area hip-hop scene since the early 2000s, releasing independent music and collaborating with local artists. Despite his long-standing presence in the regional rap scene, he never came to national attention.
The expanded case is scheduled for trial in February. Bracklin remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center. His legal team has not made any public statements regarding the new charges.
Las Vegas police are continuing to investigate and assess whether more victims may come forward.