Sasha Skare

Summary

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Snapped: Women Who Murder – "Sasha Skare"

Oxygen | June 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the murder of up-and-coming musician Martell Derouen—stage name "Cardone"—who was shot dead in his San Antonio apartment in January 2021. The investigation focuses on two women in Martell's life: his estranged wife, Joya Jenkins, and his new romantic partner, Sasha Skare. As the case unfolds, detectives uncover a tangled web of jealousy, deception, and prior violence, ultimately landing on Sasha as the prime suspect. The episode details how evidence, personal testimonies, and Sasha’s own past led to her conviction.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Martell Derouen: Victim Profile & Discovery of the Crime

• Martell’s Background: Renowned for his artistry and music, Martell grew up in Louisiana and was related to Beyonce through his mother's side ([03:04–05:39]).
  • “He can paint really well. Like he was a very good artist. He always loved music. In high school he wrote raps, he did poetry.” — Martell's Family Member [05:11]
• Personal Life: Martell’s relationship with his high school sweetheart, Joya Jenkins, was strong, though their careers and personal ambitions led to separation ([05:49–08:40]).
• The Crime Scene: On Jan 26, 2021, Martell’s stepmother reports him missing after days without contact. Police discover Martell shot through his apartment door, with evidence of a struggle inside ([01:11–04:28]).
  • “We did notice that on the door there was a bullet hole. The bullet hole was about eye level, just to the left of the peephole, and you could see right directly through it.” — First Responding Officer [03:42]
  • “A lot of blood around him. We had that bullet hole in the door, so we knew he was a victim of someone shooting from the outside in … it lined up with him looking probably out the peephole when he was shot.” — Lead Investigator [09:44]

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2. Investigation and Building the Case

• Clues & Evidence:
  • The apartment showed signs of a scuffle — overturned furniture, broken dishes, empty gun box, missing 9mm firearm, women's shoes and broken acrylic nail ([10:13–13:00]).
  • Video/audio recordings from a neighbor captured the sounds of an argument the night of the murder ([13:23–14:04]).
  • No one in the building heard a gunshot due to the proximity of a nightly amusement park fireworks display ([15:39–16:01]).
• Deceptive 911 Call: A woman posing as Martell’s wife called 911 but provided the wrong building and couldn't spell her own (Joya's) name correctly, raising suspicions ([16:06–20:50]).
  • “When she was asked for the address of where she was, she gave the street name o' Connor road. That was not where she was. Nowhere close.” — Lead Investigator [20:27]
  • “The 911 call is made by somebody representing themselves as Joya. But in fact, it's not Joya. This is somebody who, at least after the crime, took some very calculated steps to evade authorities.” — Detective or Legal Analyst [20:50]

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3. Focus Shifts to Sasha Skare

• Joya Points to Sasha: Joya identifies Sasha Skare as Martell’s girlfriend and suggests she might be behind the call and murder ([21:11–21:49]).
  • “It's Sasha. Sasha, last name Skare... I believe that's who he was currently seeing now, since we've been separated.” — Joya/Joya's attribution in transcript [21:20]
• Video Evidence: Surveillance footage shows a woman matching Sasha’s description walking away from Martell’s apartment, barefoot, carrying a handgun and her phone, with distinctive tattoos visible ([23:31–24:44]).
  • “You could see that she was carrying a handgun in her right hand and her cell phone in her left hand. You could see certain things, tattoos that were exposed that matched with the tattoos you could see on the ring video.” — Lead Investigator [24:44]

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4. Sasha’s Troubled Past

• Prior Shooting Incident: Two years earlier, Sasha was involved in a fatal shooting during a drug deal that resulted in the death of Andrew Bass. She was out on bond for aggravated robbery and assault with a deadly weapon at the time of Martell’s murder ([25:36–30:10]).
  • “Detectives are heavily dependent on what she's willing to tell them to try and put the facts together about what happened. Ultimately, Sasha is charged with aggravated robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.” — Detective or Legal Analyst [29:58]
  • “She was out on bond when the incident with Martell happened, so she wasn't even really supposed to be in San Antonio.” — Andrew Bass' Acquaintance [30:10]

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5. The Arrest and DNA Evidence

• Manhunt & Arrest: Authorities issue a warrant and US Marshals join the search. Eventually, Sasha turns herself in after seeing her case on the news ([30:17–33:25]).
  • “After I seen the news and everybody telling me, you're wanted, I realized that I was wanted for murder... I can't just run away from everything. Like, I have to deal with this because I have a family.” — Sasha Scar [33:25]
• Incriminating DNA: Sasha’s DNA is a match for the broken acrylic nail found at the scene ([34:51]).
  • “We were able to get a DNA sample from Sasha that did match up with the female DNA on the acrylic fingernail. So we knew that was her nail, and it probably was broken off during the fight.” — Lead Investigator [34:51]

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6. The Trial and Competing Narratives

• Plea Deal Refused: Sasha is offered a 20-year plea deal, which would avoid the death penalty, but declines out of concern for her son ([35:19–36:04]).
  • “I didn't take the 20 year plea because I was really just thinking about my son. I don't want to be away from him that long.” — Sasha Scar [35:38]
• At Trial: Sasha pleads not guilty. The prosecution contends that Sasha and Martell argued, she was ejected, then shot him through the door in anger ([36:39–37:14]).
  • “Their theory is that they got into an argument and he kicked her out. She didn't like it, but before she left, she took his handgun… and shot through the door.” — Family Friend or Relative [36:39]
• Sasha’s Defense: She takes the stand, claiming Martell attacked and choked her during an argument, and that the shooting was accidental ([37:40–40:23]).
  • Notable quote:
    “After I snatched it, he tackles me onto the bed and starts hitting me. And when he starts hitting me, I'm fighting back, trying to get him off me. Like I'm clawing his face… And he started choking me. I started blacking out to where like I couldn't breathe. And that's when I panicked. It was like, I just need to do something… My first instinct was to grab the gun.” — Sasha Scar [38:55]
  • “It was an accident. I didn't intend to actually shoot him and kill him, you know, because, you know, he was my friend.” — Sasha Scar [40:30]
• Forensic Evidence Contradicts Sasha: Prosecution challenges her story with physical evidence—the alignment of the bullet and the unaltered state of the kitchen counter ([40:57–41:30]).

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7. Verdict and Reflections

• Guilty Verdict: The jury returns a guilty verdict; Sasha is sentenced to 55 years in prison ([41:30–41:45]).
  • “They came back within a few hours with a guilty verdict, and then she was subsequently sentenced to 55 years in prison.” — Lead Investigator [41:37]
  • “Watching my family burst out into tears and hug each other, that was one of the best feelings I can probably say I've had in my life.” — Martell's Family Member [41:45]
• Aftermath: Martell’s family continues to celebrate his legacy and mourn his absence.
  • “Martell's death was a very huge impact on my family. We still grieve over him every day. We always celebrate his birthday as if he was still here.” — Martell's Family Member [42:37]
• Sasha’s Perspective:
  • “Everybody's always asking me, oh, like, um, did you kill Beyonce's cousin? But at the end of the day, like, that's not who he was to me. I never want anybody to be harmed. I've always wanted to spread love. This contradicts everything I live for.” — Sasha Scar [42:11]

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Martell’s legacy and family:

  “We're related through her mother's side of the family and it's through the grandmother's side.” — Martell's Family Member [05:39]

• On Sasha’s psychological profile in the Austin scene:

  “I just started hearing stuff like, yeah, she's talented but there's something a little off about her.” — Music Industry Insider [26:44]

• The neighbor’s critical testimony:

  “She describes how she's in her apartment, just kind of hanging out … she starts hearing loud banging… a woman knocking on Mr. Derouin's door.” — Family Friend or Relative [14:22]

• Sasha on declining the plea:

  “I don't want to just sign my life away. Like I at least want to put up some type of fight.” — Sasha Scar [35:38]

• On justice:

  “I think justice was served, but very sad case. It shouldn't have happened.” — First Responding Officer [42:00]

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:11–04:28| Discovery of Martell’s body, initial crime scene assessment | | 05:03–08:40| Martell’s background, career, relationships | | 09:39–11:02| Crime scene analysis, signs of struggle | | 13:23–14:42| Neighbors’ testimonies and audio/video evidence | | 16:06–20:50| Deceptive 911 call and initial misdirection | | 21:11–22:05| Focus shifts to Sasha Skare | | 23:31–24:44| Surveillance video implicates Sasha | | 25:36–30:10| Sasha’s past violent incident comes to light | | 33:25–34:45| Sasha’s arrest, refusal to speak, DNA confirmation | | 35:19–36:04| Sasha declines plea deal | | 36:39–41:30| Trial: Prosecution and defense arguments, Sasha testifies | | 41:30–42:00| Verdict: Guilty, 55-year sentence | | 42:11–42:37| Sasha’s final reflection; Martell’s family legacy statement |

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Episode Tone and Style

The episode maintains a classic Snapped tone: methodical, suspenseful, and focused on factual storytelling, balanced with emotional testimony from family, friends, and participants. There is a recurring emphasis on the devastation of senseless violence and the ripple effects on both the victim’s and perpetrator’s families. Sasha’s attempts at justification and the prosecution’s systematic dismantling of her story reinforce the genre’s core theme—women driven to murder by tangled personal dramas and unresolved grievances.

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Transcript

[Martell's Family Member]

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[Narrator]

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[First Responding Officer]

He was on his back and you could see dry blood leaving from his

[Lead Investigator]

head, the bullet hole lined up with him looking out the peephole.

[Narrator]

Investigators quickly realized this won't be an ordinary case.

[Family Friend or Relative]

His family was related to the global superstar Beyonce

[Narrator]

video. Evidence suggests the killer is someone close to the victim.

[Lead Investigator]

There's motion activation on his camera and it's a young lady walking past his apartment.

[Sasha Scar]

I think my husband is injured.

[Lead Investigator]

You could see that she was carrying a handgun in her right hand.

[Sasha Scar]

I believe that's who he was currently seeing since we've been separated.

[Narrator]

But is it the jealous girlfriend or the angry ex?

[Andrew Bass' Acquaintance]

He told me that she was pregnant but that it wasn't his child.

[Music Industry Insider]

I just started hearing stuff like, yeah, she's talented but there's something a little off about her.

[Martell's Family Member]

All I could think about was just hoping that he can get that justice that he deserves.

[Narrator]

On January 26, 2021, San Antonio Police receive a call from a woman requesting a welfare check at an apartment complex on La Cantera Parkway.

[Sasha Scar]

La Cantera Parkway. That immediately signals something high profile. It's a very affluent neighborhood.

[Narrator]

The woman says her 34 year old stepson Martell Deruen hasn't been returning her calls for the past four days.

[Martell's Family Member]

My family and I, we would always talk to him like a lot. We'll talk to him very frequently and we weren't hearing from him, which was not like Martell at all.

[Narrator]

Officers arrive at the address a little before noon.

[First Responding Officer]

When we got there, I really thought it was just going to be a welfare check. Maybe person sleeping on meds doesn't want to talk to nobody.

[Narrator]

But as soon as they get to Martell's door, they realize this isn't going to be a routine visit.

[First Responding Officer]

We did notice that on the door there was a bullet hole. The bullet hole was about eye level, just to the left of the peephole, and you could see right directly through it.

[Narrator]

The officers ask building mainten for help, but when they try to unlock the door, they discover it's bolted from the inside.

[Lead Investigator]

In order to gain entry, they had to drill through the lock on the door.

[First Responding Officer]

As soon as I opened the door, you could see the body on the ground. He was on his back and you could see dried blood leaving from his head. And as soon as I saw that, I knew that he was deceased.

[Narrator]

Using the description from his stepmother, police identify the victim as Martell Deruen and notify his family.

[Martell's Family Member]

They made the call saying that he was murdered. You're so hurt to where you don't even know how to process it. We didn't know anything that was going on. That's what confused us the most because we were trying to figure out who could possibly want to do something like that to him.

[Narrator]

Martell Lord Derwin was born June 18, 1986 in New Iberia, Louisiana.

[Martell's Family Member]

Growing up, he was very talented. He can paint really well. Like he was a very good artist. He always loved music. In high school he wrote raps, he did poetry. So music was always something that he had as a calling.

[Narrator]

Considering his other family members, it wasn't hard to figure out where Martel's musical talent came from.

[Family Friend or Relative]

His family was related to obviously the global superstar Beyonce.

[Martell's Family Member]

We're related through her mother's side of the family and it's through the grandmother's side.

[Narrator]

Martel's high school sweetheart, Joya Jenkins was his biggest supporter.

[Family Friend or Relative]

They kind of grew up together and were young love that blossomed.

[Narrator]

But instead of immediately pursuing a career in music, Martel decided to follow in his stepfather's footsteps.

[Martell's Family Member]

So he had a strong relationship with his stepfather and his stepfather was in the marines. So that was something he wanted to do. He was in the air force. He was the type of person, if he wanted to do something, he would go out and do it. He didn't really look into other people's opinions.

[Narrator]

While stationed in San Antonio, 21 year old Martell and 20 year old Joya tied the knot.

[Martell's Family Member]

Martell worked in the intel department, so he had ranked up pretty quickly. But unfortunately he had an injury with his hands so he couldn't do what his job was anymore.

[Narrator]

He was discharged after six years, but he and Joya decided to stay in San Antonio and build a new life.

[Martell's Family Member]

He had a lot of different things that he was branching off into. He designed sneakers. He did like a lot of different things. He was a very multi talented person. His biggest thing was he was trying to professionally produce and mixing and mastering music. So he had a studio in his home where he would do engineering and that he would mix all of his recordings. Martell's stage name was Cardone, and that was actually originated from our father. He gave him that nickname when he was maybe a teenager.

[Narrator]

Under his stage name, Cardone, Martel became something of an overnight sensation, collaborating with other stars on several records.

[Family Friend or Relative]

He was really starting to reach a point in his career where he was starting to get really well known. His career was really starting to take off.

[Martell's Family Member]

He started promoting himself and pushing himself out there to where he had got a distribution deal with Sony, the archetype.

[Narrator]

In 2019, Martel began recording his official debut album. Unfortunately, the demands of a burgeoning music career began to take a toll on his marriage.

[Martell's Family Member]

So from their relationship, no matter what or whatever, differences or whatever they wanted to do with branching off, they were always the best of friends. It was more so their views with careers and just things that they had where they wanted to do different things.

[Narrator]

He and Joya eventually separated, renting out their home and moving into separate apartments.

[Martell's Family Member]

They were still really close, they still would be together, they would still hang out, but they just had different things they wanted to branch off into.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

They lived a mile apart from each other. All indications given the lack of conflict with between Martell and Joya was that there may have been a chance of reconciliation.

[Family Friend or Relative]

Everybody seemed to think that they wanted to eventually get back together, and it's why they never officially divorced. I think they both just needed time and wanted to work on their passions before they fully committed to that next step of a relationship, which was having children and settling down.

[Narrator]

But any hope of a reconciliation is now gone. Martell has been killed by a single gunshot, and investigators are searching his apartment for clues to kickstart their investigation.

[Family Friend or Relative]

Police could tell he'd been there for a few days, and the blood was starting to kind of dry up around him.

[Lead Investigator]

What I noticed in particular about Martell's body is where it was lying. He was on his back on the floor, feet closer to the door, a lot of blood around him. We had that bullet hole in the door, so we knew he was a victim of someone shooting from the outside in the bullet hole Appeared to be to his forehead. It lined up with him looking probably out the people when he was shot.

[Narrator]

But a search of the apartment reveals something curious. Despite the fact that the fatal shot came from outside the apartment, investigators find evidence of an altercation inside

[First Responding Officer]

the apartment. It was in disarray. There were some broken dishes, and the bedroom was kind of messed up. The bed was messed up. And so it appeared that there was some type of scuffle in the apartment.

[Lead Investigator]

We found in the closet an empty gun box and some other evidence in a container that showed that he had a firearm. But we couldn't find it. We knew what kind it was. We knew the make, model, and caliber in 9 millimeter, but we just couldn't find a firearm there.

[Narrator]

To police, it looks as if he might have been shot with his own gun.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

The story that his apartment starts to tell is one that's mysterious. It's confusing. There's been some kind of a scuffle

[Lead Investigator]

or a conflict, but the only person there, of course, is Martell. Our biggest challenge was figuring out who was there with him.

[Narrator]

Coming up, a 911 call on the night of the murder gives police a suspect.

[Sasha Scar]

Okay, what's going on? I'm trying to get in my apartment, but I. I'm not able to get in.

[Lead Investigator]

But when she was asked for the address of where she was, that was not where she was. Nowhere close.

[Narrator]

After analyzing the crime scene, homicide detectives believe Martell Deruan was arguing with a visitor sometime before he was shot.

[Lead Investigator]

We didn't have any idea who might have been there or what the scenario was that led up to this fight and then the shooting. But there was good evidence there to tell us the story of what happened.

[First Responding Officer]

There's some women's shoes, some clothes. They appeared that there was a woman there.

[Lead Investigator]

I see that there's a lot of broken things, a lot of broken glass, some furniture overturned, things like that. Moving through the apartment, we go to the back bedroom, and I notice that the bed is broken. Another piece of evidence at the crime scene was a broken or an acrylic fingernail, the kind that women typically wear had broken off, and it was on the bed. We did collect that, hoping that maybe there was some DNA evidence on there.

[Narrator]

Next, detectives canvass the complex, hoping someone saw or heard something. When speaking to Martell's downstairs neighbor, they learned she often overheard arguments coming from Martell's apartment. The most recent happened around 8:30pm Jan. 22, four days ago.

[Lead Investigator]

She's made several complaints to the management about arguing or loud noises and music. From that apartment. So she just thought, okay, I'm gonna. I'll have to report this to the management again, but I'll record it so I can have something to show them, some proof to provide.

[Family Friend or Relative]

It was a cell phone video. It was directly downstairs. And you don't see anything. You know, she has it pointed kind of up toward the ceiling, and you hear two people arguing, a male and a female. You don't hear what they're arguing about, but you do hear yelling and screaming back and forth between two individuals.

[Lead Investigator]

We were able to establish then that something happened that previous Friday night on January 22nd that led to the shooting.

[Narrator]

The neighbor, who lives across the hall from Martell, says she witnessed something as well.

[Family Friend or Relative]

She describes how she's in her apartment, just kind of hanging out for the evening, and she is waiting for food. She starts hearing loud banging. She assumes it's her door, that that person's delivering her food. But when she opens the door, it's not her food.

[Lead Investigator]

She found a young lady knocking on Mr. Deroon's door.

[Family Friend or Relative]

They obviously notice each other, and she just says, oh, I'm just. You know, I'm trying to get back in. He's not letting me in. And she's like, I wanted nothing to do with it. I just close my door, and I go back inside.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

The neighbor across the hall remembers seeing a woman who was skinny, African American, five, five or five, six in height, and she remembers her not wearing shoes. But there was no other real significant features about this woman.

[Family Friend or Relative]

When her food does finally arrive and she goes back to the door, she says, that woman is no longer there. So she just carries on. She doesn't hear or see anything else happen.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

It starts to paint a clearer picture that the two may have had an argument, and she was clearly out of the apartment. It does lend some credibility to the idea that the person who may have been involved in this crime is a woman that Martell was involved with romantically.

[Narrator]

The neighbor didn't hear a gunshot, however, and strangely, no one else in the building did either.

[Sasha Scar]

That apartment complex is situated very close to an amusement park that does fireworks, A fireworks display every night, and it's extremely loud, so they thought that it was the fireworks that night.

[Narrator]

But police do find a record of a woman calling 911 that night.

[Lead Investigator]

She was concerned because there was a hole in the door, and she thought her husband was inside and maybe he was hurt.

[Family Friend or Relative]

In the 911 call, she said, I need someone to come check. My husband. My name is Joya. We're at this location. I don't have a key.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

She claims to be Martell's wife and says that she can't get into the apartment, that he's put her out of the apartment and she's just trying to get back in. But also that she may need him to get some and medical care.

[Narrator]

The woman gave her name and address, but by the time police arrived, they found no sign of Joya.

[Lead Investigator]

When they looked for the apartment number that she provided, they found it was located in a building that wasn't even constructed yet. It was still under construction.

[Narrator]

Officers tried to reconnect with the caller, but got no response.

[Lead Investigator]

They can give a report, and they just explained, well, there's nothing here because this is a building not finished. So that's why, when they responded, they didn't find Martell that night.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

Detectives have a lot of information that's starting to build. They have this 911 call that mentions the deceased victim's wife, the neighbor's eyewitness account, but they don't really know what to make of it.

[Lead Investigator]

I was really curious to find out as much as I could about that call, so I requested the audio.

[Narrator]

While waiting for the 911 audio, investigators call Martell's wife, Joya Derwin, to the scene.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

It's clear to them that her reaction is one of shock. There's some deep loss and sadness there for her.

[Family Friend or Relative]

They wanted to know if at any point their relationship was ever physical, if there was any domestic violence. And she was very quick. She said, no, we didn't have that kind of relationship.

[Lead Investigator]

She said, you know, we're separated, but it's amicable. We get along. We stay in touch.

[Narrator]

Joya tells police the last time she saw Martell was Thursday the 21st. She says he texted her that Friday, but claims she did not go to Martell's apartment.

[Lead Investigator]

I did ask Joya if she called 911 on that previous Friday night, and she said she did not.

[Narrator]

If Joya is telling the truth, the question for detectives is, who called 911?

[Lead Investigator]

I did ask that Joya be provided a ride to the homicide unit office so she could provide a more detailed statement, and she willingly did that. When I got back to the homicide office, first thing I did was listen to the 911 call. I really wanted to hear that audio, find out if it would help us kind of figure out what was going on.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

What it starts to paint is a picture that whoever called in that 911 call is somebody who very deliberately tried to present themselves as a different Person that obviously becomes an area of concern for detectives.

[Narrator]

Investigators have just obtained the mysterious 911 call. Eager for answers, they take a listen.

[Sasha Scar]

Okay, what's going on? I'm trying to get in my apartment, but I'm not able to get in. And I like. I'm just not able to get in, and I think my husband is injured. Do you live there? Yes, I do. And what is your name? My name's Joya Durant. Spell the first name. Joya. G a O, I, a. Okay. And your husband's name? Martell. Last name. They're on. D e r o u n.

[Narrator]

After reviewing the 911 call, detectives 0 in on how Joya spells her name with a j, not a g. And that's not the only thing the caller got wrong.

[Lead Investigator]

When she was asked for the address of where she was, she gave the street name o' Connor road. That was not where she was. Nowhere close. Another thing was she didn't know how to spell darouin. She couldn't spell it properly. That was another indicator that the person calling was not Joya for sure. I also noticed the voice was different. It wasn't the same voice as Joya's, who I had spoken to quite a

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

bit, that the 911 call is made by somebody representing themselves as Joya. But in fact, it's not Joya. This is somebody who, at least after the crime, took some very calculated steps to evade authorities and to distract them and to confuse them.

[Narrator]

When investigators ask Joya if she has any idea who the caller might be, she tells them one name springs to mind.

[Sasha Scar]

It's Sasha. Sasha, last name Skare. S k a r e. And I believe that's who he was currently seeing. Now, since we've been separated in the beginning, it was more of like a teacher student type relationship where he was trying to develop her music and all that stuff like that. He was still with Joya at the time, and then they became more intimate after Joya and him obviously separated.

[Lead Investigator]

She believed that knowing Martell was dating Sasha, it could only have been her. Sasha would have known her name. Sasha would have probably pretended to be her to keep attention off herself if something bad had happened.

[Family Friend or Relative]

From the outside looking in, maybe this was a love triangle that just went wrong.

[First Responding Officer]

Okay.

[Sasha Scar]

And with the new girl hanging around. I know you said you guys kind of broke it off. How did that make you feel? Did it make you feel jealous? No, I don't necessarily get jealous. It was just more or less the issues that he was not trying to deal with versus Another woman.

[Family Friend or Relative]

They remained great friends throughout their entire separation. She was a hairstylist, so she did his hair still and they talked often.

[Lead Investigator]

He would confide in Joya. He would tell her Sasha would get violent, that, you know, she would want to fight and was causing problems.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

It's a situation where we have a new girlfriend who is jealous of the close relationship that Martell still had with his estranged wife.

[Lead Investigator]

Joya's take on what happened to Martell was it had to be Sasha who was involved. She couldn't think of any other person or any other reason why someone would want to hurt him. Joya showed us on social media the profile page for Sasha, and we could see pictures of her. So that gave us a good lead, good starting point.

[Narrator]

Using the information gathered from social media, investigators compare Sasha's scar to security camera footage taken the night of the shooting.

[Lead Investigator]

A few people had some ring video cameras on their door. One in particular on the floor below. Mr. Darouin's apartment had some footage and he allowed us to look at it. Those are motion activated cameras. So when he left, it was activated. And you can hear him go to the elevator. When he gets the elevator, you can hear the elevator come to that floor. The ding, the door's open, he gets on and he departs. About that same time, we could hear a pop, which we believed was probably the gunshot. Shortly after that, there's another motion activation on his camera. And it's a young lady walking past his apartment door who matches the description of the female seen banging on Mr. Derwin's door.

[Sasha Scar]

She's walking down the hallway in a summer dress, barefoot. Very much looks like somebody who just ran out the apartment.

[Lead Investigator]

What we saw on the social media page for Sasha was very similar to what we saw in the videos in the apartment complex.

[Narrator]

And the woman is not empty handed, as Martell's neighbor believed.

[Lead Investigator]

You could see that she was carrying a handgun in her right hand and her cell phone in her left hand. You could see certain things, tattoos that were exposed that matched with the tattoos you could see on the ring video from the apartments. At this point, we knew it was Sasha. We needed to find her, we needed to talk to her.

[Narrator]

Coming up, investigators look into Sasha's past.

[Family Friend or Relative]

They were going to a drug deal and something went down.

[Narrator]

And they find this isn't her first violent encounter.

[Sasha Scar]

She grabbed the gun and started dragging him outside of the apartment.

[Narrator]

After confirming the ID of the woman in the ring video as Sasha scar, investigators run a background check and learn that 21 year old Sasha has spent most of her adult life in nearby austin, Texas.

[Music Industry Insider]

I met Sasha through a music event. We were doing a local hip hop show. It was like a house party. I was introduced to her, and then after that, she came onto my podcast Because I interview, like, a lot of up and coming artists, Mainly in the Austin area,

[Narrator]

Like martell. Sasha was an up and coming musician.

[Music Industry Insider]

Sasha, she had, like, a lot of potential. A lot of potential you could see from her shows. She checked all the boxes, you know, as far as the music, the talent, the Persona, she was pretty much the whole package.

[Sasha Scar]

All right, all right. Thank y'.

[Andrew Bass' Acquaintance]

All.

[Narrator]

But it seems there was another side to Sasha as well.

[Music Industry Insider]

I just started hearing stuff through the grapevine, like, yeah, Sasha, she's talented, but there's something a little off about her. They're talking about she would have, like, narcissistic type of tendencies and stuff. And at first I thought it was just, like, girls talking, you know, being jealous with entertainers and artists. I mean, we're all a little narcissistic in our own ways, you know, but when I heard that about the shooting with Sasha, I'm just like, okay, kind of connect the dots there. Like, maybe they were really, you know, seeing something that I didn't.

[Narrator]

Police records in Austin show Sasha was involved in another shooting two years ago. The victim was a young man named Andrew bass.

[Andrew Bass' Acquaintance]

Andrew and Sasha met in San Antonio. He told me that they crossed each other's path walking on the east side and exchanged information and kind of became friends. At that point, she ended up needing a place to stay, and so that's how they came together, Both to my house, but, like, as a unit, Boyfriend and girlfriend, they were sweet together, and she looked like she was good for him. They went back and forth between San Antonio and Austin a lot because I know she was working on music.

[Narrator]

Despite Sasha's talent, the young couple were struggling to get by.

[Andrew Bass' Acquaintance]

Sasha and Andrew lived with me for several years. Andrew told me that she was pregnant, but that it wasn't his child. And she went to Florida when she had to have the baby, and then came back. The baby stayed with her mom in Florida. She came back to Texas with Andrew. Then at some point, Sasha's mom moved to austin, Texas, because she had the baby. And they kind of would go back and forth between my house and Sasha's mom's house in austin, Texas. They were working, saving money, you know, taking care of the baby, Traveling back and forth, Trying to build a lie for themselves, really. But he and Sasha, you know, made a really poor choice.

[Narrator]

The Police report shows the previous shooting incident occurred on November 29, 2019.

[Family Friend or Relative]

They were going to a drug deal and something went down and a shootout occurred.

[Sasha Scar]

Andrew didn't want to go through with the payment in his head. He's probably done this before and wanted to do it again. Let's see if I can get some

[Family Friend or Relative]

weed for the free.

[Sasha Scar]

So I guess Andrew had took out his gun, and I guess the guy felt threatened by that. The guy shot him. Sasha had grabbed the gun and grabbed the weed and then started dragging Andrew out to of the apartment.

[Narrator]

Sasha managed to get Andrew to the car where she called 911, but Andrew died before he could be taken to a hospital.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

Detectives are heavily dependent on what she's willing to tell them to try and put the facts together about what happened. Ultimately, Sasha is charged with aggravated robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

[Andrew Bass' Acquaintance]

She was out on bond when the incident with Martell happened, so she wasn't even really supposed to be in San Antonio.

[Lead Investigator]

Now we've identified Sasha. We know that's who we need to get. The arrest warrant is obtained.

[Narrator]

Investigators track down Sasha's current address, but when they show up to arrest her, she's nowhere to be found.

[Lead Investigator]

We knew we were gonna have to start looking for her, so I get in touch with the U.S. marshal Service, who then starts their manhunt. So we're actively now searching for Sasha with an active warrant for murder.

[Narrator]

It's February 2021, and authorities in San Antonio, Texas, are on the hunt for Sasha Scar in connection with the shooting of Martell Deruan. Knowing she might be armed and potentially dangerous, investigators distribute Sasha's photo to the media.

[Lead Investigator]

The case did capture some media attention, which was good for us. We wanted it out there that we were looking for Sasha's scar.

[Family Friend or Relative]

Martell's family relations with Beyonce, that was kind of like the key thing that people were like, wait, who? They got everybody talking.

[Narrator]

While US Marshals join the manhunt, investigators continue building their case against her.

[Lead Investigator]

My next step was to get anything to the crime lab that needed to get there so we could keep moving forward with the investigation. The autopsy was performed on Mr. Derwin. A projectile was recovered from Martell and was confirmed to be a 9 millimeter, which is the same caliber as the gun that was missing from Martell's apartment.

[Narrator]

Detectives also obtain Martell's phone records from the night in question.

[Lead Investigator]

That gave us all the text messages from the night that he was killed. So we saw the conversation between him and Sasha, and it was very telling. He explained to Her. He was upset because she was bringing other men around. He didn't like that. And he had asked her to stop, but she kept doing it, and he confronted her about it. And we think that's what started this big fight between the two of them. You see in the text messages, he tells her, I had to defend myself. You attacked me. I had to get you out of here, but you need to bring my gun back.

[Narrator]

The final message was sent minutes before the gunshot was recorded on the doorbell footage. When police track the number Sasha used to text Martell, they discover some valuable information as well.

[Lead Investigator]

She was on the move. They were able to determine she was coming back to Texas, and they were getting close to pinpointing where she was. But before they could do that, Sarah, Sasha actually turned herself in.

[Sasha Scar]

My name is Sasha Scar. After I seen the news and everybody telling me, you're wanted, I realized that I was wanted for murder. I called my lawyer, and my lawyer just walked me through, like, as far as the process would go, the main thing that was on my mind was, like, my son, I can't just run away from everything. Like, I have to deal with this because I have a family.

[Lead Investigator]

After charging her with murder, I went to interview Sasha Scar at the jail. She seemed exhausted. You could tell she'd been on the run. What I want to do, the reason I'm here, is to give you an opportunity to give your side of the story of what happened. Okay. You'd be willing to do that?

[Sasha Scar]

Not without my lawyer.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

President.

[Lead Investigator]

Okay. You do have an attorney.

[First Responding Officer]

Okay.

[Lead Investigator]

She had her opportunity right then to really explain to me what happened that night, but she chose not to. She didn't want to talk, but we had a search warrant to get her DNA sample.

[Narrator]

Sasha's silence leaves the evidence to speak for itself.

[Lead Investigator]

We were able to get a DNA sample from Sasha that did match up with the female DNA on the acrylic fingernail. So we knew that was her nail, and it probably was broken off during the fight. At this point, my work is done. We pretty much have everything. I'm waiting for it to get to trial.

[Narrator]

In August 2023, Sasha appears in court for a plea hearing.

[Family Friend or Relative]

We were told by some of our sources at the courthouse that, hey, they're offering a plea. We believe the terms are 20 years. I thought, for sure, oh, she's gonna take it, right?

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

It was a very favorable plea agreement, which would have taken the death penalty off the table.

[Sasha Scar]

My lawyer made it a point to know that at the end of the day, this is your choice. I didn't take the 20 year plea because I was really just thinking about my son. I don't want to be away from him that long. That was really my main thoughts, like I don't want to be away from my son that long. So I'm not going to just sign my life away. Like I at least want to put up some type of fight.

[Martell's Family Member]

All I could think about was just hoping that he can get that justice that he deserves because we'll never have Martell again.

[Narrator]

In August 2023, two and a half years after Martell Deruan's murder, the trial for his accused kids killer Sasha Scar finally begins. Sasha pleads not guilty to his murder.

[Family Friend or Relative]

The entire case that the prosecution presents is overwhelming. It's overwhelmingly against Sasha. Their theory is that they got into an argument and he kicked her out. She didn't like it, but before she left, she took his handgun. He was maybe ending things and she knew when she got his attention to come to the door, that was her opportunity and impulsively shot through the door.

[Narrator]

According to the defense, however, that isn't what happened and they let Sasha set the record straight.

[Lead Investigator]

What I was really taken aback with was the fact that her attorneys let her take the stand. That's rare. That hardly ever happens.

[Detective or Legal Analyst]

She presents a side of Martell and a narrative about what happened that night that's entirely different.

[Sasha Scar]

I had an art show in Austin and he had a music show in San Antonio. So our plan was to come together, work on the show that we have, plan together and the same night go to our shows. We had been drinking and I remember I was on the phone with a videographer trying to do business and get some videos done. He comes in and he's like, you know, what are you doing? Like, you need to get out and you're in my house on the phone with other dudes. He starts grabbing my purse and everything and I snatch it and I'm like, don't touch my stuff. I was in an abusive relationship one time. So after that, a relationship, I was like, I'm not going to take that from anybody ever again. After I snatched it, he tackles me onto the bed and starts hitting me. And when he starts hitting me, I'm fighting back, trying to get him off me. Like I'm clawing his face, I'm trying to push him off, but you know, it was not easy. And he started choking me. I started blacking out to where like I couldn't breathe. And that's when I panicked. It was like, I just need to do Something. He's not stopping. And my first instinct was to grab the gun. I was like, don't touch me. Don't touch me. And I was backing up. I started throwing everything. I started throwing dishes on the floor to kind of separate us. And after that, I jumped over the counter because the glass was all over the floor. That's when I ran out. I was just trying to find an escape. At that moment, it just really got out of hand, more than I ever planned it to.

[Narrator]

According to Sasha, what happened next was an accident.

[Sasha Scar]

She claimed that she realized that her belongings were inside. She was knocking on the door, trying to get back in. He wasn't responding, according to her story. And she was banging on the door with the gun.

[Family Friend or Relative]

She says when she does that, it accidentally just goes off.

[Sasha Scar]

It was an accident. I didn't intend to actually shoot him and kill him, you know, because, you know, he was my friend. Why would you want to. Why would you want that to happen to somebody you were close with?

[Narrator]

However, the evidence doesn't support Sasha's story.

[Family Friend or Relative]

They have her demonstrate how the gun went off. But if you look at the door from Martell's apartment, the bullet hole is directly straight into the doorway. And so that just doesn't line up forensically. She had said she jumped over a counter. The prosecutors took a photo on the counter. It's not a very big counter. Our bowls. He's like, how did none of these bowls move?

[Narrator]

On August 31, 2023, the jury renders their verdict.

[Lead Investigator]

They came back within a few hours with a guilty verdict, and then she was subsequently sentenced to 55 years in prison.

[Martell's Family Member]

It was a lot for that, hearing the verdict. But watching my family burst out into tears and hug each other, that was one of the best feelings I can probably say I've had in my life.

[First Responding Officer]

I think justice was served, but very sad case. It shouldn't have happened.

[Sasha Scar]

Everybody's always asking me, oh, like, um, did you kill Beyonce's cousin? But at the end of the day, like, that's not who he was to me. I never want anybody to be harmed. I've always wanted to spread love. This contradicts everything I live for.

[Martell's Family Member]

Martell's death was a very huge impact on my family. We still still grieve over him every day. We always celebrate his birthday as if he was still here. We'll go visit him. We're all special in our own way, but Martell was a huge inspiration.

[Narrator]

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