Big U is asking a federal judge to let him out of jail long enough to wash and shroud his son’s body and attend the Janazah prayer, but prosecutors say there’s no way they can trust him outside the walls of MDC Los Angeles.
Their new filing argues he’s far too dangerous, too unpredictable and already breaking so many jail rules that even a tightly controlled funeral release would put people at risk.
“Ultimately, [Big U’s] release–– for any amount of time–– creates far too great a risk to justice in this case and to human life. Defendant should remain detained for the safety of the community and the victims and witnesses to his crimes,” prosecutors said.
His request comes after the October 31 killing of his eldest son, Jabari “Baby Uiie” Henley, who was shot in South Los Angeles after leaving a community trunk-or-treat event.
Jabari was hit when he walked up to a car near 69th and Figueroa and someone inside opened fire. He died at the scene. Big U said he wants a brief release to carry out the Islamic rites that require a parent to wash and wrap the body.
His lawyers proposed a highly restricted plan: electronic monitoring, private security paid for by his family, a fixed route between the detention center and the funeral and strict no-contact rules. The filing says all costs would be covered by his family.
Prosecutors responded by laying out months of alleged misconduct that had occurred behind bars.
They said his recorded calls show “hundreds” of violations, including using other inmates’ BOP numbers so he could call people he didn’t want the jail to track.
They said each call opened with the inmate speaking for voice verification before handing him the phone. Prosecutors said he then had people add third parties on encrypted apps and warned them to stick to those encrypted platforms.
They claim he used those calls mostly to reach his girlfriend. According to prosecutors, the two talked about slipping illicit photos through the mail by hiding them in legal papers and continued having phone sex.
They also said he coached her on signing up for one paralegal class so she could pose as a “legal visitor” and bypass visitation rules.
The brief says he didn’t stop there. Prosecutors said he discussed passing messages to co-defendants barred from contacting him, reaching a confidential informant, pushing a rule that no one should plead guilty unless he does and spending large sums on investigators despite having court-appointed lawyers.
Prosecutors argued that letting him out, even briefly, could expose witnesses, noting that he knows precisely who reported him. They said courts rarely grant funeral leave in cases like this and added that his unnamed private security team doesn’t qualify as an “appropriate person” to supervise him under federal law.
Big U is locked up under a 43-count RICO indictment accusing him of running the “Big U Enterprise,” extorting artists and athletes, misusing nonprofit funds, committing fraud and killing aspiring rapper Rayshawn Williams in 2021.
“Big U is charged with the murder of a young man who himself was buried by his parents –a funeral that defendant famously did not attend, despite knowing the victim his whole life, managing his music career, and paying for the trip that would be his last moments on earth,” prosecutors said, referring to Williams’ murder.
The judge will rule on the request on November 17, 2025.
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