A Texas rapper known locally as Beyoncé’s cousin was shot dead in his apartment. Martell DeRouen, 34, was found at his home by the police on Tuesday when they carried out a health search. Friends and relatives of San Antonio-based rappers, identified by his stage name Kardone, are demanding justice as police track down 21-year-old suspect Sasha Skare.
In 2019, Skare was also charged with an assault related to the shooting of her boyfriend’s death.
Louisiana native DeRouen was signed to The Orchard, a label owned by Sony Music, and according to The Source had been working to make his way out of his super star cousin’s shadow.
‘Kardone was widely known in his area as Beyoncé’s cousin, but in the last few years, he’s changed that narrative with his own musical pursuits,’ his Spotify bio reads.
‘That’s not even something he would even mention to people,’ Brian Mitchell, who owns Fyngermade Studio, told KSAT.
‘We’d just have to put in his bios because it’s just, it’s worthy to put it in there, but he doesn’t like stuff like that. He was just a real subtle dude, quiet.’
DeRouen is believed to be connected to the musical icon through her maternal grandma, Agnéz Deréon, who came from New Iberia, Louisiana, as he did. The fashion line of Beyonce and Tina Knowles was named ‘House of Deréon’ in her honour.
DailyMail.com has spoken out to Beyoncé’s representative. Skare was named as a suspect in DeRouen’s death after the body was discovered in The Towers Complex in 16700 block of La Cantera Parkway. Officers had carried out a welfare check after getting a call from a woman to say she hadn’t heard of him in a couple of days.
The couple met a man in Austin’s apartment to buy weed, but the two men started shooting at each other. Bass was killed and the other man was taken to hospital.
Investigators believed that Skare had set up an arrangement to rob the other man after she had told them various stories.
Bass’ mother called his death the ‘ultimate betrayal’ after she had taken the young woman into her home when Skare needed a place to stay.
‘Because you open your home to someone and you offer them every single thing that you have and for the end result to be the demise of my child and really no true answers of you know what actually transpired,’ she told Fox San Antonio.
‘My biggest question was, why are you running,’ she added of Skare’s disappearance after DeRouen’s death.
‘Why are you running? If you haven’t done anything wrong? And if you love and cared about him as much as you say you did?’
DeRouen’s family have spoken out as the hunt for Skare continues with an active warrant out for her arrest for murder.
His wife Joia said that they are trying to ‘digest this senseless act’.
‘There is no way to replace him but please help us find this girl,’ Joia wrote in a statement. ‘She is dangerous, and I do believe she will kill again. If you see her please contact the police.’
‘Kordone was one of those ones who rose and shine bright, brighter than, you know, some of those that was in the room with him,’ Mitchell said of his friend.
‘I couldn’t believe it. I thought they had the wrong person,’ he added of his death.
Skare had been tagged on DeRouen’s last Instagram post from a night out on January 3.
‘Big Love to everyone who pulled up and turned up w me last night,’ he captioned the post.
Skare left a comment with the praying hands emoji.
A motive for the murder has not yet been identified.
Anyone with information on Skare’s whereabouts is asked to call SAPD’s homicide unit at 210-207-7635.
