Rapper Sasha Skare Sentenced to 55 Years for Murder of Beyoncé’s Cousin

Rapper Sasha Skare, known for her music career, is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being found guilty of the murder of Martell Derouen, Beyoncé’s cousin. The tragic incident occurred in early 2021, and the verdict was delivered on Wednesday, August 30, according to reports from KENS-5.

Martell Derouen, a 34-year-old rapper who performed under the name Kardone and was related to Beyoncé through their grandmother, met his untimely end when he was fatally shot on January 26, 2021, at his upscale apartment near San Antonio.

Sasha Skare had been offered a plea deal of 20 years in prison, which she declined, ultimately receiving a 55-year prison sentence for the murder.

During the trial, Skare testified that she did not intend to kill Derouen and claimed that a heated argument between them escalated, resulting in a tragic outcome.

Prosecutor Ashley Jones, however, vehemently contested Skare’s explanation, asserting that she knew exactly what she was doing when she confronted Martell Derouen. According to Jones, Skare was banging on Derouen’s door to provoke a response from him before fatally shooting him, which, in her view, constituted murder.

Skare’s arrest took place on February 6, 2021, shortly after the shooting incident, and she was charged with first-degree murder, a felony offence. The case against her was bolstered by reports from neighbours who claimed to have heard a heated argument followed by a gunshot. Surveillance footage also reportedly placed Skare at Derouen’s apartment complex shortly after the shooting.

Notably, this wasn’t Skare’s first brush with the law. In 2019, she had been involved in a fatal shooting and was listed as one of the Marshals’ Most Wanted that year, facing a charge of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

Martell Derouen, the victim in this tragic case, had been pursuing his own career in the music industry under the stage name Kardone. He had achieved recognition and was signed to Sony Music label The Orchard in 2019. Skare, on the other hand, had started releasing music in 2018, including her album “Hyer Quality, Vol. 1.” In April, Skare had even released a single produced by Derouen.

Before her arrest, Skare’s Instagram page had been active with fans, but following news of the murder, it became inundated with requests for her to surrender herself to authorities.

In a poignant statement, Brian Mitchell, a friend of Martell Derouen, emphasized that Martell never attempted to leverage his connection to Beyoncé to further his own career. “That’s not even something he would even mention to people,” Mitchell explained. “We’d just have to put [that information] in his bios because it’s just, it’s worthy to put it in there, but he doesn’t like stuff like that.”