Parisian rapper MHD has been sentenced to 12 years in prison over the 2018 murder of a 23-year-old man, French news service Agence France-Press reports. MHD had pled not guilty to the charges.

Per the AFP, MHD reiterated his not-guilty plea during a final statement to the jury, remarking: “From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence in this case and I will continue to maintain my innocence.” MHD was tried alongside eight co-defendants: three were acquitted, while five others received sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years, per The Guardian. All of the convicted parties pled not guilty. 

MHD was originally charged with voluntary manslaughter in 2019, after he was arrested in relation to the July 2018 killing of the man, identified as Loïc K, in Paris’ 10th arrondissement. MHD’s car was reportedly spotted at the scene of the crime. At the time, MHD’s lawyer denied that the artist had “any involvement in the brawl” during which Loïc K died in a statement to the AFP.