Rapper Martell Derouen, who performed under the name Kardone, died of a gunshot wound. He was 34 years old.
San Antonio police discovered Derouen’s body inside his downtown Texas apartment on Tuesday, while carrying out a social security check, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The request for a police checkup in Derouen, which was widely reported as the “cousin” of superstar Beyoncé in the local media, was made by an unidentified person who had not heard from the musician for several days.
Beyoncé’s representatives did not immediately return the Post’s request for confirmation of their possible connection to Derouen.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Sasha Skare, 21, who was confirmed as a suspected murderer, according to local TV station KSAT.
Skare was also involved in the San Antonio music scene and released a single produced by Kardone in April. She was previously charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a shooting in 2019 that left one man dead and another wounded, court records show.
“There is no way to replace it, but please help us find this girl,” wrote Derouen’s wife, Joia, in a statement. “She is dangerous and I believe that she will kill again. If you see her, contact the police. “
About her late husband, a “shaken” Joia added: “He didn’t deserve this” and asked for privacy while she tried to “digest this meaningless act”.
Fans of the promising master of ceremonies accessed an Instagram account allegedly operated by Skare, begging her to surrender to the authorities.
Derouen, who signed with Sony Music The Orchard in 2019, is remembered by his friend Brian Mitchell as “a very subtle guy,” KSAT reported.
Mitchell praised the musician for refusing to quote the name of his alleged world-renowned singer relative “Run the World” for his own professional benefit.
“This is not even something he would mention to people,” said Mitchell, owner of Fyngermade Studio. “We would just have to put [that information] in his biography because it’s fair, it’s worth putting him there, but he doesn’t like things like that. “
While investigators continue to hunt down Derouen’s alleged killer, Mitchell continues to question why someone would harm his friend.
“It’s like hurting a butterfly,” he said.
The San Antonio Police Department is asking anyone with information about Skare’s whereabouts to contact the homicide unit at 210-207-7635.