Seattle rapper Lil Mosey, born Lathan Moses Echols, has pleaded not guilty to a second-degree rape charge stemming from a January 2020 incident in Randle.
Echols appeared in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday after the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office agreed to quash a $50,000 warrant for Echols’ arrest. The warrant was issued after Echols failed to appear in court for a scheduled preliminary appearance last week. According to defense attorney Jennifer Atwood, the court summons was sent to an address Echols had not lived at for five years and Echols had no knowledge of his court summons until after he’d missed the court date.
Echols appeared in court for arraignment alongside his attorneys, Atwood and Amy Irene Muth, and his parents.
Judge James W. Lawler approved the deputy prosecutor’s request to set bail at $50,000 unsecured, meaning that Echols does not have to pay any of the bail amount unless he breaks his release conditions.
While standard release conditions typically don’t allow for travel outside of Western Washington, Atwood requested that Echols’ conditions be amended to accommodate his international tour schedule, which includes performances in Canada, Portugal and throughout the U.S. in 2021 and 2022.
Echols, who was born in Mountlake Terrace but currently resides in California, rose to fame in 2017 and is best known for the 2020 single “Blueberry Faygo.”
Atwood additionally requested a January 2022 trial date, stating that Echols would waive his right to a speedy trial as his legal team wanted adequate time to “track down witnesses” who they were “previously unaware existed.”
“I will allow the travel,” said Lawler, who added “It’s not like he can go off and hide somewhere because that would make this so much worse.”
However, Lawler denied Atwood’s request to waive speedy trial rights, calling the request “premature” and stating that the day or two since Echols’ legal team accepted the case could not possibly have been enough time for them to attempt to contact witnesses and determine that they’d need extra time to do so.
Echols is accused, along with co-defendant Francisco Prater, 19, of Silver Creek, of having sex with a woman “while she was incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless or mentally incapacitated,” according to court documents.
The victim reportedly told police that she had gone to a party in Randle to see Echols on Jan. 6, 2020, and had consumed alcohol. Echols is accused of getting into a car with the victim and her friend. Echols allegedly “pulled his pants down,” according to court documents.
The victim reportedly told police that she recalled consenting to sex with Echols inside the car, but blacked out soon after. She later awoke to Echols and Prater assaulting her inside the Randle residence.
Prater has yet to appear in court and there is an active $50,000 warrant out for his arrest.
Atwood pointed out that Echols was under the age of 18 when the incident reportedly occurred, but that the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office waited 15 months to file charges.
Echols turned 18 on Jan. 25, 2020. Prater, who was born in October 2001, was 18 years old at the time of the incident, and the victim was legally an adult.
A detective with the Morton Police Department began investigating the incident the same day that it occurred, but charges were not filed until earlier this month.
Echols’ next required court appearance is an omnibus hearing scheduled for June 17 in preparation for a July 19 trial date. He and his legal team will be allowed to appear virtually. Trial confirmation is scheduled for July 8.
