G. Dep has opened up in his first post-prison interview about his decision to confess to a murder committed nearly 20 years prior, shedding light on his motivations following his recent release from prison. The former Bad Boy Records rapper, whose real name is Trevell Coleman, admitted to attempting a robbery at gunpoint in 1993 that resulted in the death of John Henkel.
The case remained unsolved until 2010, when G. Dep came forward and confessed to the crime, ultimately leading to his conviction and sentencing of 15 years to life.
In his first interview since regaining his freedom, G. Dep spoke with The Art of Dialogue about the reasons behind his confession. He explained that he wanted to restore balance to his life and the victim’s family, expressing a deep need to alleviate the burden that had weighed on him for years.
“I was willing to put myself on the line, whether or not he passed on. I just needed to get that off my mind,” he shared, emphasizing that he believed turning himself in was the right thing to do.
Despite the case having long gone cold and G. Dep never being considered a suspect, he expressed no regrets about his decision to come forward. “I did the right thing,” he affirmed.
Shortly after confessing in 2010, G. Dep revealed that his conscience had been haunting him for years. He described the decision to turn himself in as a process that had been on his mind for some time.
“It wasn’t one of those things where I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to just do it.’ I was thinking about it for a while,” he explained to XXL. After participating in a public access show interview, he made the definitive choice to go to the precinct and face the consequences.
Reflecting on his release from prison earlier this month after being granted clemency, G. Dep acknowledged that he couldn’t continue with his life without addressing the past.
“I felt like I was going to go through the same thing again — being happy, enjoying food and family — and I still didn’t handle what I thought I needed to,” he shared. “I couldn’t move on and keep trying to satisfy myself if I didn’t deal with that.”