Eugene “Big U” Henley’s application for temporary release to go to his son’s funeral rites has been denied in court.
In a hearing in California federal court on Monday (Nov. 17), Judge Fernando Aenlle-Rocha officially prevented Big U from leaving prison as he awaits trial for his RICO case. He was asking for the ability to attend the Islamic funeral rites of his son Jabari, who was killed in South Los Angeles on Halloween.
Judge Aenlle-Rocha instead offered an alternative: that Henley be granted "a private visitation with his deceased son and a remote video conference that would allow [him] to view the funeral service." It was not clear as of this writing whether Henley has accepted the offer.
Jabari Henley's Islamic rites are scheduled to take place on Friday (Nov. 21). The actual burial, which Big U did not request to attend, is happening the following day.
The decision comes a day after U.S. attorneys argued against Henley's attendance at the rites by saying that he was too dangerous to be freed, even for a day, as he awaits trial.
“Ultimately, the defendant’s release — for any amount of time — creates far too great a risk to justice in this case, and to human life,” read the request. “Defendant should remain detained for the safety of the community and the victims and witnesses of the crime.”
In their argument, attorneys outlined reasons they didn’t believe that Big U should be freed, such as him having phone sex with his girlfriend and constantly violating phone call rules by using other inmates’ privileges.
In some of the calls, Big U used “coded communications” to discuss sending messages to co-defendants in his case who are free until trial, demanding that “no one in the case be allowed to plead guilty” unless he does.
In his ultimately unsuccessful application last week to the court for permission to attend the rites, Henley’s attorney wrote, “The death of one's child represents an unparalleled human tragedy. The opportunity to attend and participate in the funeral rites is not literally a matter of personal preference, but a fundamental expression of human dignity.”
Henley is charged in a racketeering case with leading a "mafia-like" criminal organization.
The criminal complaint against Henley and six others alleges that they were involved in a huge array of criminal activities: extortion, kidnapping, fraud, embezzlement, prostitution, and even murder.