The couple initially booked for murdering rising rapper Lil Yase, are off the hook.
In a startling turn of events during their arraignment yesterday (April 29th), the Alameda County District Attorney declined to charge Angel Butler and Jovante Williams with first-degree murder over Lil Yase’s shooting death.
The “Top Dog” rapper was gunned down near a BART train station in the town of Dublin, following a recording session in San Francisco on November 28th.
Police initially arrested Butler and Williams, who share a child.
Some of the child’s DNA was found on shell casings recovered from the murder scene, but apparently, this was not enough evidence to connect them to the murder.
Additionally, prosecutors said Lil Yase, who was involved in a relationship with Butler, gave up critical information on his deathbed, which helped lead to the couple’s detention.
However, Butler and Williams walked free from the Santa Rita Jail, even though prosecutors argued they had the right suspects.
Lil Yase, who ran the Highway 420 label with his business partner Justin Miranda, was well-liked in the local rap scene and had no known enemies.
“We don’t have any idea what he was doing out there. Everybody is confused, no one knows what the hell is going on, or what happened,” Justin Miranda told the Mercury News. “He was universally loved and respected by everyone, didn’t matter what city or neighborhood, everybody loved him, from LA up to here.”