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Carjacker of Eminem's mother facing prison time for attack on 8-mile Road
April 12, 2004, 6:33 PM
DETROIT (AP) -- The mother of rap star Eminem said she wants to see the 16-year-old who carjacked and robbed her in January punished but also is distressed to think he could spend the next decade or more in prison.
Debbie Nelson, 49, said in an interview Monday that she is struggling to get over the Jan. 22 gas station robbery on Eight Mile Road, a strip that divides Detroit from its suburbs and was made famous by her son's movie, "8 Mile." She said she suffered bruises, a broken foot, neck pain and insomnia.
"This is something that doesn't just go away overnight," Nelson said.
She said she was in her car resetting the trip odometer the night of Jan. 22 while the car fueled, when her attacker waved a silver revolver in her face, punched her in the head and dragged her and her dog, a lab mix named Itchy, out of the car.
James Antonio Knott, 16, is scheduled to be sentenced next week, and could face between ten and 18 years in prison on charges of carjacking and armed robbery, said Oakland County prosecutor Margaret Scott.
Knott pleaded guilty and has said through his attorney that he used a BB gun in the robbery, not a handgun. Scott said investigators never recovered a weapon.
Police arrested him after he got stuck in traffic in Nelson's 2002 Honda Accord about a mile from the gas station. He fled the car and was caught on foot, Scott said.
Nelson complained Monday that she had not received back the contents of her handbag, which was in the car and contained her cell phone, identification, house keys, pictures of her two sons, and more than $3,100 in cash.
Nelson's rocky relationship with her son Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been well-known since the Detroit rapper became a star. He has disparaged her in his music and she has settled two defamation lawsuits over his statements that portrayed her as an unstable drug-user.
Knott was to be sentenced Monday, but his attorney, J. Herbert Larson, argued that the sentencing range was too high, and the judge granted his request to postpone sentencing until April 19.
Nelson said she thought Knott should be punished, but said her "main concern is that he's rehabilitated and won't do this again
April 12, 2004, 6:33 PM
DETROIT (AP) -- The mother of rap star Eminem said she wants to see the 16-year-old who carjacked and robbed her in January punished but also is distressed to think he could spend the next decade or more in prison.
Debbie Nelson, 49, said in an interview Monday that she is struggling to get over the Jan. 22 gas station robbery on Eight Mile Road, a strip that divides Detroit from its suburbs and was made famous by her son's movie, "8 Mile." She said she suffered bruises, a broken foot, neck pain and insomnia.
"This is something that doesn't just go away overnight," Nelson said.
She said she was in her car resetting the trip odometer the night of Jan. 22 while the car fueled, when her attacker waved a silver revolver in her face, punched her in the head and dragged her and her dog, a lab mix named Itchy, out of the car.
James Antonio Knott, 16, is scheduled to be sentenced next week, and could face between ten and 18 years in prison on charges of carjacking and armed robbery, said Oakland County prosecutor Margaret Scott.
Knott pleaded guilty and has said through his attorney that he used a BB gun in the robbery, not a handgun. Scott said investigators never recovered a weapon.
Police arrested him after he got stuck in traffic in Nelson's 2002 Honda Accord about a mile from the gas station. He fled the car and was caught on foot, Scott said.
Nelson complained Monday that she had not received back the contents of her handbag, which was in the car and contained her cell phone, identification, house keys, pictures of her two sons, and more than $3,100 in cash.
Nelson's rocky relationship with her son Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been well-known since the Detroit rapper became a star. He has disparaged her in his music and she has settled two defamation lawsuits over his statements that portrayed her as an unstable drug-user.
Knott was to be sentenced Monday, but his attorney, J. Herbert Larson, argued that the sentencing range was too high, and the judge granted his request to postpone sentencing until April 19.
Nelson said she thought Knott should be punished, but said her "main concern is that he's rehabilitated and won't do this again
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