Two men sentenced to life in prison for murder of San Mateo rapper in front of toddler
Two men have been sentenced to life in prison for murdering California rapper Juice Boi.
Ueta Muasika, from San Mateo, was shot and killed in October 2020, with 33-year-old John Talia Paasi and 34-year-old Isileli Mahe charged with first-degree murder.
According to KTVU, the pair were handed life sentences without the possibility of parole on July 23rd.
Juice was attacked on October 30th at around 9:30am on Eleanor Drive. At the time, he was carrying his two-year-old son into his car.
Paasi and Mahe pulled up in front of his home, with one of the men stepping out of the vehicle and shooting Juice 14 times. The rapper died at the scene, while the toddler was also struck in the face but survived his injuries.
Paasi and Mahe were on the run for around two years before Paasi was found in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2022, and Mahe was arrested in Honolulu that same year.
Prosecutors claimed that the murder was a response to the death of Paasi’s 85-year-old grandmother, Susana Tonga, who was killed in an arson fire set by Juice’s cousin, Fifita Tau.
Tau was sentenced to life in prison, with Juice reportedly innocent and having no involvement in Tonga’s death.
Following the shooting, Police Chief Ed Barberini said that Juice was “an aspiring rap artist who was shot and killed in the driveway of his own home. The suspect in this case waited for the victim to emerge from his residence, indicating to us that the victim was specifically targeted.”
The 29-year-old is known for songs such as ‘Devil’s Work’ and ‘On Top of My Game’, and was a member of Cutthroat Mode alongside Rich Rollin and Mr Musik.