Photo: Bexar County Jail/Getty Images
A Texas rapper and singer has been sentenced after she shot and killed a fellow MC, who happens to be related to Beyoncé.
On Friday, September 1, several local news outlets confirmed that Sasha Skare had been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the murder of Martell Derouen. Skare was on trial beginning on Monday of last week and was found guilty by a jury on Thursday. The punishment phase of the process began on Friday and Skare was sentenced by the afternoon. Skare was initially offered a plea deal of 20 years but she rejected it a week before she received her sentence.
Derouen, a 34-year-old rapper from San Antonio, was found dead in his apartment on January 26, 2021. He is a cousin of Beyoncé's by way of their grandmother, but he didn't like to use her name to get ahead in the music industry. Skare told the court during her testimony that she didn't mean to hurt or kill Derouen. She also claimed that she and Derouen, who rapped under the name Kardone, had gotten into a fight before she pulled the trigger.
“The defendant knew exactly what she was doing,” prosecutor Ashley Jones said during her closing argument. “[Skare] was banging on the door to get Martell to come and deal with her, and then she shot him. That is murder.”
Prosecutors also said that Derouen had no DNA evidence or other indications that he injured Skare during the fight. They also mentioned that Skare used Derouen's wife's name, Joia, when she called the police to report his death. His family members were in the courtroom when she was sentenced. Despite their tears, they were satisfied with the outcome.