Lyfe Jennings Emotional In Court Before Sentencing

Video of Lyfe Jennings‘ final moments of freedom was published by local Atlanta news station WSBTV on Thursday (September 23), showing the singer emotionally apologizing in front of a judge, before being handed down a 3 1/2 year prison sentence.

“I did it… I know I gotta be punished for it and I just wanted the opportunity to apologize and that’s it,” Jennings said in the news clip. Lyfe Jennings (real name: Chester J. Jennings) was arrested back in October 2008 after he took Cobb County police on a high speed chase following a domestic altercation with the mother of his two children.

The argument escalated into an incident that saw Jennings firing shots from a .40 caliber gun right before hopping in his Corvette in an attempt to evade arrest. Lyfe led cops on a high-speed car chase in Smyrna, Georgia which ended after he crashed into a tree.

He was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass, discharging a firearm near a public highway, and refusal to take a DUI test, in addition to two felony counts of attempting to elude an officer and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty to all charges.

In court on Thursday, friends and family spoke to the courtroom, asking that Jennings be given the minimum sentence because of his previous work with prisoners and young people.

“He is much more valuable out, engaging young people doing the work that he’s doing,” friend Jeffrey Johnson told the courtroom. His attorneys asked for a one year sentence, but the judge gave him 3 1/2 years.

Also, at the time of sentencing, Jennings’ legal team asked that he be allowed to spend some time with his children before being carted to jail, but the request was denied. Jennings has begun serving his sentence immediately.