Teen rapper ‘Baby K’ gets 25 years behind bars for Maryland school bus attack

A 17-year-old boy, who raps under the name “Baby K,” was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday after pleading…

A 17-year-old boy, who raps under the name “Baby K,” was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree murder and weapons charges.

Kaeden Holland was 15 when he tried to kill a student on a on a Prince George’s County school bus last year. His plea deal called for a 25-year sentence with another 35 years suspended, which is ultimately the sentence he received.

The deal also called for Holland to serve his time at the Patuxent Institution, a maximum-security, adult prison that offers therapy and counseling programs for youthful offenders. Holland was also sentenced to five years probation once he’s released from Patuxent.

In May 2023, the teenager burst onto a school bus and tried to shoot a student, but the gun malfunctioned, authorities said.

During court proceedings earlier this year, prosecutors argued that Holland is quick to anger and has a history of disrespect for authority going back to first grade. The presiding judge agreed, ultimately deciding before a plea deal was reached that Holland would be tried as an adult, even though more than 80% of these cases get sent back down to juvenile court.

“We want to see this defendant change. We have high hopes for him in the future. We really do believe that,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said earlier this year, adding that she believes that Holland has a chance to “turn his life around” with the services being offered.

“But the reality is, the juvenile system has not worked for him. It hasn’t. And so we have to try something else,” Braveboy said.

Holland’s defense argued he was too young at the time of the crime to fully understand the consequences and that he’s been greatly impacted by trauma.

Holland was shot in the leg when he was 14 years old and has seen multiple friends killed by gun violence, according to lead defense attorney Michael Lawlor.

The teen has posted several rap songs and music videos under the moniker “Babyk2800,” with some of his videos garnering tens of thousands of views on YouTube.

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