Update 10/20/2021 9:32am:
William Arzate, 25, of Rockford, Illinois, was sentenced to natural life plus a consecutive term of five years in state prison for the 2019 murder of Chicago rapper EBE Bandz, real name William Pickering.
Arzate remains at large after being convicted in July of first-degree murder and concealing a homicidal death following a jury trial conducted in his absence. During the trial, it was revealed that Arzate beat the rapper in the head with a baseball bat before moving his body to a wooded area and setting it on fire on May 25, 2019. According to a news release from the Winnebago County State's Attorney Office, the autopsy revealed that EBE Bandz died from blunt force trauma and multiple points of impact were observed on his bones.
Arzate was arrested in June 2019 after investigators linked him to EBE Bandz's death, but his family put together his $100,000 bond and he was released. He's wanted on an outstanding no bond bench warrant for failure to appear and a previous warrant for harassment of a witness.
Three other men, Colton Kennicker, Dakota Graff and Manuel Ramirez, were charged in connection to EBE Bandz's death. Kennicker's case is still pending, while Graff pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on June 17. Ramirez received a 180-day sentence after pleading guilty to concealment of a homicidal death on February 24.
Source: Rockford Register Star
Original 07/05/2021 3:44pm:
Update 07/05/2021 3:28pm:
The murder of rapper EBE Bandz in 2019 made headlines, and it was noted that the person responsible for the death of Bandz—William Arzate, was convicted for the murder. Arzate was found guilty of concealing a homicidal death and first-degree murder after being in front of a jury. However, it has been revealed that Azarte is now at-large.
Police say the 24-year-old murderer didn’t appear at his trial and now is wanted on an outstanding No Bond bench warrant. Along with that, Arzate is wanted for harassment of a witness. According to reports, Arzate is scheduled to be sentenced for the murder in September 2021.
source: WREX 13
Original 12/26/2020 3:44pm:
In 2019, news surfaced noting that rapper EBE Bandz was missing, and right after that, two men were charged in connection to the rapper's death. Now, news surfaced noting that one of the men charged in the murder have been locked up on charges unrelated to the murder.
Via EBE Bandz’s Instagram account, an update was given about William Azarte, one of the men charged with the rapper’s murder. The caption on the IG post said, “Special Christmas present to all of @billydakid079 loyal fans. William Azarte, the one who killed Bandz is now locked up on unrelated charges that I’m sure will not help his defense on his murder trial. This is the first time I’ve ever been happy about anyone being locked up. It doesn’t take all the pain away but it sure helps!” Take a look above.
