Nicki Minaj Denies Dancer Involvement In Fan Murder

'Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan,' Minaj tweets Thursday of Nicola Furlong's death.
By Nadeska Alexis

<P><a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/minaj__nicki/artist.jhtml">Nicki Minaj</a>'s <a href="/news/articles/1685680/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-tour.jhtml"><i>Pink Friday</i> Tour</a> touched down in Tokyo, Japan, last week, and following one of the rapper's colorful stage shows, things took a devastating turn: One of Minaj's fans was murdered after attending the May 25 concert.</P><P>On Thursday (May 31), Minaj took to Twitter to send condolences and deny allegations that her dancer was involved in the incident.</P><P>"Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan. My love &amp; prayers are with the family of Nicola Furlong," Nicki <a href="https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/208082614316314624" target="_blank">wrote</a>.</P><P><blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center"><p>Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan. My love &amp; prayers are with the family of Nicola Furlong.</p>&mdash; Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/208082614316314624" data-datetime="2012-05-31T06:28:55+00:00">May 31, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></P><P>The 21-year-old fan, a foreign exchange student from Dublin City University in Ireland, was found dead in a Tokyo hotel room after attending Minaj's show at Zepp Tokyo a few hours earlier.</P><P>An early report on <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2012-05-30-nicki-minaj-backup-dancer-james-blackston-suspicion-murder-rape#.T8e4ZFbs7Tp" target="_blank">PerezHilton.com</a> stated that Furlong and her friend Sarah Maher linked up with Minaj's backup dancer James Blackston and another musician, Larry Perry, after the show, heading to the men's hotel rooms. Furlong was later found strangled to death in the room, while Maher reported that she was sexually assaulted by both men in a taxi.</P><P>After sending her condolences to the slain fan's family, Minaj addressed rumors that her dancer was involved, tweeting directly at the celebrity gossip blogger. "My dancers had nothing to do w/this tragedy. No one in my entourage was questioned or arrested. They all flew home from Japan," she wrote. "That person on your [site] is NOT my dancer. We do NOT know the men in custody. Too much misleading information."</P><P>According to <a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Two-Americans-held-on-indecency-charges-as-investigation-continues-into-Wexford-girls-murder-in-Tokyo---VIDEO-155319605.html" target="_blank">IrishCentral</a>, Tokyo police have released a statement confirming that they arrested two American men in connection with the crime. James Blackston, 26, and an unidentified 19-year-old have been taken into custody. "These two men allegedly took advantage of a female unable to resist due to the fact she was in a comatose state from a highly alcoholic beverage," the report states, adding, "As that is an indecent act, they have been charged with quasi forcible indecency."</P><P>The police also confirm Maher's story of being harassed in the taxi, noting, "On a taxi ride between Shibuya and Shinjuku, they took advantage of a woman by touching her body."</P><P>Furlong's body is expected to arrive in her hometown of Curracloe, Ireland, on Thursday, where she will be laid to rest. The 21-year-old was studying at the Takasaki City University of Economics in Takasaki, Japan.</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Nicki Minaj Stresses Importance of 'Roman Reloaded'" id="vid:745154" width="415" height="255"></div><p></p>

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Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1686183/nicki-minaj-fan-murder.jhtml

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