Rockford rapper’s killer caught in Mexico after years on the run
A man responsible for killing Rockford rapper EBE Bandz has been found in Mexico.
The 23-year-old artist (real name William Pickering) from Illinois was murdered in May 2019, with William Arzate found guilty of first-degree murder in July 2021.
However, Arzate never appeared at the trial, which went on without him and resulted in a life sentence in October 2021.
According to WIFR News, Arzate was finally captured and booked into the Winnebago County jail on May 4th.
Bandz was reported missing on June 1st, 2019, with his body found in Winnebago County around a month later. Arzate and two others, Colton Kennicker and Dakota Graff, were accused of meeting him at a home in the 5200 block of Indianhead Avenue.
They allegedly beat Bandz with a baseball bat and drove his body to a field, before setting it on fire. Manuel Ramirez was also charged with concealing a homicide.
Winnebago County State Attorney J Hanley announced that Arzate had been sentenced in absentia to natural life and a consecutive term of five years in prison.
Graff was sentenced to 35 years in prison, while Kennicker was sentenced to 32 years and Ramirez was sentenced to 180 days.
Arzate was arrested in June 2019 but posted a $100,000 bond with the help of his relatives. He was wanted on an outstanding no-bond bench warrant for failure to appear and another warrant for harassment of a witness.
Bandz’s music has millions of streams online, with ‘Demons’ boasting 4.4 million views on YouTube. ‘Boss Bitch Freestyle’ also has over three million views on the platform. The rapper is known by various stage names, including EBE Bandz, GMEBE Bandz, and Billy Da Kid.