Five years after Lil Marlo was brutally shot and killed, his family is demanding answers from authorities, but no one has been charged for the crime.
Now his father, Rudolph Johnson, is demanding answers because police have not made any arrests in connection with the killing.
The hip-hop artist, born Rudolph Simmons Johnson IV, was 30 years old when police found him shot to death inside a wrecked car on July 11, 2020, on Interstate 285 near the Benjamin E. Mays Drive overpass.
Investigators believed he was a target, but five years later, the case remains unsolved and no suspects are in custody.
“We’re not closed yet,” Johnson told Fox 5 Atlanta. “It’s been a tough five years.”
He was in the studio the night the Quality Control Music signee was killed. Around 11:30 p.m., shots were fired while he was driving, causing his vehicle to crash. He died leaving behind three children, now aged 8 to 12 years.
“His mother called me and said, ‘Rudy’s gone. He’s gone! He’s gone!'” Johnson said. “I don’t want to believe it. I don’t believe it, I can’t believe it.”
As Lil Marlo’s music becomes increasingly popular in Atlanta’s hip-hop scene, his ambitions extend beyond music. According to his father, he wanted to use his platform to improve the community and provide for his family.
“He wanted to use this to make things better, not just for him and his family but for his community,” Johnson said.
Despite the high profile of the case and numerous media reports, the investigation has stalled.
Fox 5 Atlanta reported that the Atlanta Police Department did not respond to multiple inquiries this week about the status of the case.
“We’re not going to let this get swept under the rug,” Johnson said. “I’m going to go out and make as much noise as I can so this case can be solved.”
The Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed the rapper’s death, but Johnson was frustrated by the lack of progress in the case. His call for justice echoed the voices of many families across Atlanta who are still waiting for answers to the unsolved slayings.
“I just don’t understand how or why,” Johnson said.
He went on to urge anyone with information to come forward and contact Atlanta police in hopes someone will finally break the silence.
