Sky Balla is now facing additional sexual assault charges in Las Vegas after two more women accused the Bay Area rapper of violent attacks that mirror a 2021 incident at the Aria resort, prosecutors confirmed.
The new claims add to an already disturbing case against Sky Balla, whose real name is Sky Nathan Branklyn. The 45-year-old artist had previously been charged in connection with a June 2021 assault that began at the Aria’s High Limit Lounge. A woman told police she met a man who introduced himself only as “Sky” at the bar, and after several drinks, she blacked out.
She later woke up in a hotel room in severe pain as the man was sexually assaulting her. According to the arrest report, “Investigators later found such a large amount of blood in the room that the hotel classified it as a biohazard.”
The woman told police she tried to resist and told him to stop, but he punched her in the face until she lost consciousness again. She said she came to as he attempted to force himself into her mouth. She eventually crawled to the bathroom and hid there in the dark for two hours before convincing him to let her leave. He ordered her an Uber, police said.
Branklyn was initially charged with two counts of sexual assault resulting in substantial bodily harm, two counts of sexual assault and one count of battery by strangulation with intent to commit sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty.
Now, according to KLAS-TV, two more women have come forward with eerily similar stories. Both said their encounters with Branklyn began consensually but escalated into violence. Prosecutors say the similarities between their accounts and the Aria case are striking.
Branklyn’s criminal record stretches back more than 20 years. Court documents show he was convicted of sexual battery in Hayward, California, in 2002, and rape by force in Huntington Beach in 2008. He is currently listed as a registered sex offender in California.
In 2006, a separate incident in Las Vegas was reported but never led to charges after the woman involved declined to pursue the case, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Branklyn has been part of the Bay Area Hip-Hop scene since the early 2000s, releasing independent music and collaborating with local artists. Despite his long run in the regional rap world, he never broke into the national spotlight.
The expanded case is scheduled for trial in February. Branklyn remains in custody at Clark County Detention Center. His legal team has not issued any public statements about the new accusations.
Las Vegas police are continuing their investigation as they assess whether more victims may come forward.