People ask this question all the time. Like, all the time. You see it in YouTube comments, on Reddit threads, and buried in Twitter debates whenever Kentrell Gaulden—better known to the world as NBA YoungBoy—gets arrested again. The rumors are wild. Some fans treat him like a mythical John Wick of the rap world, while critics point to his lyrics as a confession booth. But when you strip away the music videos and the "4KT" hand signs, what do the actual court documents say?
NBA YoungBoy has never been convicted of murder.
That’s the flat-out truth. Despite the headlines and the chaotic legal history that has trailed him since he was a teenager in Baton Rouge, there is no official record of him killing anyone. However, the reason the question "how many people did NBA Youngboy kill" keeps popping up isn't just out of thin air. It’s because he has been involved in several high-profile shootings where things got very real, very fast.
The 2016 Attempted Murder Charges
Back in 2016, YoungBoy was just a 17-year-old kid on the verge of blowing up. Then, a drive-by shooting happened in South Baton Rouge. Authorities claimed YoungBoy jumped out of a vehicle and opened fire on a group of people. He was originally charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
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He spent months in jail. If you were following him then, you remember the "38 Baby" era. Eventually, he took a plea deal. The attempted murder charges were dropped, and he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault with a firearm. He got a suspended 10-year prison sentence and three years of probation.
It was a close call. But no one died in that specific incident, which is a detail that often gets lost in the "top shooter" narrative his fans love to push.
That Chaotic 2019 Miami Shooting
If there’s one event that fuels the "how many people did NBA Youngboy kill" searches more than any other, it’s the 2019 Mother’s Day shooting in Miami. This wasn't some back-alley rumor; it was a broad-daylight gunfight outside the Trump International Beach Resort.
YoungBoy and his crew were targeted by rival shooters. His bodyguard returned fire. In the crossfire, a 43-year-old bystander named Mohamad Jradi was tragically killed.
Honestly, it was a mess. YoungBoy wasn't the one who pulled the trigger on the fatal shot—police determined his camp acted in self-defense—but because a life was lost during an incident he was involved in, the "body count" rumors grew legs. YoungBoy was never charged for the death of Jradi. He did, however, end up back in front of a judge for violating his probation because he was out in public and involved in a shootout.
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The TBG Feud and the "Internet Detective" Theories
You can't talk about YoungBoy's reputation without mentioning the beef with TBG (Top Boy Gorilla). This is where the line between rap lyrics and reality gets blurry. When rappers like Boulevard Quick or Gee Money were killed, the internet went into overdrive.
Fans looked at YoungBoy's lyrics in songs like "Dead Trollz" or "Bring 'Em Out" and started doing "math" on his body count. It's weird, right? People treat real-life tragedy like it's a video game score.
- Gee Money (2017): Killed outside his studio. No charges were ever filed against YoungBoy.
- Boulevard Quick (2018): Shot and killed. Again, plenty of "diss tracks" followed, but zero legal links to Gaulden.
The police have investigated these connections for years. If there was a smoking gun connecting him to these hits, the feds—who have been watching him like a hawk—would have used it by now. Instead, they’ve mostly caught him on racketeering, drug, and weapon charges.
What's His Status in 2026?
Legal troubles are basically a lifestyle for him at this point. In 2024 and 2025, he dealt with a massive prescription fraud case in Utah and federal gun charges that saw him move through the system yet again. By early 2026, he remains one of the most litigious figures in music.
Interestingly, he even received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in May 2025 for certain gun-related crimes. That basically wiped the slate clean on specific federal weapons charges, much to the shock of his detractors. But even with a "pardon," the label of "murderer" sticks to him in the court of public opinion.
Why? Because the music sells the danger. YoungBoy leans into the "grave digger" persona. He knows that the aura of being "about that life" is what keeps his core audience obsessed. It’s a dangerous game of branding where the "how many people did NBA Youngboy kill" question is actually part of the marketing strategy, whether he likes it or not.
Separating the Rapper from the Record
The reality is a lot less "movie-like" than the rumors. Kentrell Gaulden is a man who grew up in an incredibly violent environment. He has survived multiple assassination attempts. He has lost dozens of friends.
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When you look at the stats:
- Convictions for Murder: 0
- Convictions for Manslaughter: 0
- Active Murder Investigations: None publicly disclosed as of 2026.
He has been a victim of violence, a witness to it, and a defendant in assault cases. But he isn't a "serial killer" or a "hitman" as some TikTok theorists would have you believe. He’s a rapper with a very heavy criminal record involving guns and drugs, but the blood on his hands—legally speaking—doesn't exist.
To get the most accurate picture of any celebrity's legal standing, you should always check public records through the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court or federal PACER systems. Don't rely on song lyrics or "leak" accounts on Instagram. They usually prioritize clicks over the actual penal code.
If you're following his journey, the best thing you can do is focus on the music and recognize the difference between a persona and a person. The legal system has tried to nail him for a decade, and while they've caught him for many things, murder hasn't been one of them.