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Dublin police announced Wednesday morning that a local couple were arrested this week in connection with the murder of rising San Francisco rapper Lil Yase last November.
Angel Butler and Jovante Williams — both 28 years old — were taken into custody on arrest warrants Tuesday as the prime suspects in the homicide after a nearly five-month investigation, according to Dublin police Capt. Nate Schmidt.
Police are still working to determine a motive, but electronic and DNA evidence, along with a dying declaration from Lil Yase, helped lead to Butler and Williams being identified as the suspects, Schmidt told the Weekly.
Butler and Williams lived together with their child in an apartment complex on Iron Horse Parkway in Dublin close to where the shooting occurred, according to Schmidt. Meanwhile, Butler and Lil Yase had a prior relationship that appeared to be maybe still ongoing, which is why Lil Yase was visiting Dublin, the captain said.
Williams and Butler were booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office was scheduled to review the case to formalize final charges by Thursday, according to Schmidt.
Mark Antonyyo Alexander Jr. — who performed under the name Lil Yase — arrived at Stanford Health Care-ValleyCare hospital in Pleasanton around 1 a.m. Nov. 28 with serious injuries after being shot multiple times, police said. Subsequent investigation led police to determine the shooting occurred in the 5100 block of Iron Horse Parkway near the Dublin-Pleasanton BART Station.
Lil Yase was soon transferred to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he died from his traumatic injuries later that morning. He was 26.
Authorities previously identified Lil Yase’s legal name as Alexander Mark Antonyyo Jr., but Dublin police confirmed Wednesday that his correct name was Mark Alexander Jr.
A native of the Sunnydale neighborhood in San Francisco, Lil Yase had been performing since he was a teen, but first gained recognition in 2015 with his track “Get In It” — and its subsequent remix, according to TMZ. He released a slew of singles and collaborations during his career.
The circumstances of the killing, including who pulled the trigger, remained very unclear as the investigation unfolded that first weekend, although Lil Yase did provide some information in what was ultimately a dying declaration, Schmidt said on Wednesday.
Continued investigation of phone and social media records, as well as processing of DNA evidence, led to detectives identifying Williams and Butler as the prime suspects in the case, the captain said.
Dublin police obtained arrest warrants for Butler and Williams, and the couple were taken into custody without incident in Dublin on Tuesday on suspicion of murder, according to Schmidt
“Alexander’s immediate family has been notified of the arrests and have expressed their extreme gratitude to the Dublin Police for their unwavering commitment in identifying and holding those responsible for the death of their loved one,” Schmidt said.
