The woman accused of fatally shooting Beyoncé‘s cousin, rapper Kardone has been convicted of murder in his death and sentenced to 55 years in prison.
The artist, whose real name is Martell DeRouen, was a rising artist in the music industry, following in the steps of the Grammy-winning Texas native.
Sasha Skare was facing life in the trial that began on Monday, Aug. 28, and wrapped up on Thursday, Aug. 31, with the Bexar County jury reaching a guilty verdict, My San Antonio reported. She was 21 at the time.
Before the trial, the 24-year-old was offered a plea deal that would have meant she’d serve 20 years in prison, but she turned it down — opting to bet on her defense strategy.
The tragic incident took place on Jan. 26, 2021, when Skare shot Kardone through his door. She said during the trial that the two were arguing before the shooting, telling the court that the rapper became angry after she had a conversation with another man on the phone regarding a music project.
It was reported that the two were dating and this argument was a lover’s spat.
Skare testified that the altercation with DeRouen escalated into a physical fight when he started hitting and choking her.
She claimed after he started beating her up and she grabbed the gun for self-defense when she managed to break free from his grasp, leaving the apartment with no shoes and nothing but her cellphone and the gun. Skare said she was returning to the apartment to retrieve her personal effects when things went awry.
Video evidence captured her holding a gun in one hand and a cellphone in the other as she walked down the hallway of the posh La Cantera apartments.
Self-defense was never proven during the trial. But during her testimony, the young woman told the jurors the gun fired when she knocked on the door and that she was unaware he was standing behind the door when it went off. Kardone was fatally shot through the head and died upon the impact.
She also admitted to calling the police and pretending to be Kardone’s estranged wife, Joia DeRouen, when he didn’t answer the door.
By the time police arrived, Skare had left the scene — not knowing if Kardone was alive or dead. Four days later, the recording artist’s body was uncovered during a police welfare check.
A San Antonio native, Kardone was related to Beyoncé through their grandmother and was only 34 years old when he lost his life.
During the trial, a neighbor, Carlone Eichman, recounted hearing Skare banging on Kardone’s door when she came out to pick up her dinner delivery. Sensing the tension in the air, the neighbor opted to avoid the drama and go back inside her apartment across the hall.
“I figured it was a situation that wasn’t my business,” she testified.
Eichman said she had her earbuds in her ears and did not hear the gunshot.
In hindsight, the neighbor apologized for not doing anything.
Skare is an aspiring rapper as was Kardone, who had been building his fanbase and releasing music since as far back as 2016 online. His song “Pull Up” was used in a viral mash-up video about the Boston Celtics basketball team.
