Juice Boi murderers guilty: Both men now face life in prison without possibility of parole for rap artist’s murder in San Mateo’s 19th Avenue Park neighborhood

Muasika was shot several times in the driveway of his residence on Eleanor Drive on the morning of Oct. 30 after being ambushed, the DA’s Office said previously, with his 2-year-old son suffering from a gunshot wound to his face. Muasika was also a local rap artist known as Juice Boi from the music group “Cutthroat Mode.”

Paasi and Mahe both face life in prison, without the possibility of parole, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. 

For Muasika Jr.’s wife, Leslie Munoz, the verdict offered long-awaited relief, she said. 

“I felt a sense of relief, a sense of peace, and I think it was just overwhelming to the point where I just felt numb,” she said. “I think what I feel right now is that I can look at my son and I can tell him now, when he asks me if they’re ever going to get out, I can tell him, no, they’re not.” 

Defense Attorney Brandon Douglass maintained Mahe’s innocence, as he has throughout the trial process, in a statement and reiterated prior comments that Mahe had no connection to the crime. 

“While we obviously vehemently disagree with the jury’s verdict, we respect their time, effort, and contribution to our nation’s unique constitutional framework,” he said in a statement. “We are weighing all options and hope that one day, Isi Mahe gets to return home to his family.”  

Eric Hove, who is representing Paasi, did not immediately respond to request for comment. 

The DA’s Office believed Muasika Jr.’s murder was motivated by the 2019 arson murder of Paasi’s grandmother by Muasika’s cousin Fifita Tau, in which there is no evidence that Muasika Jr. was involved, Wagstaffe said. San Mateo police said Tau, who was convicted for the murder, set the fire because he thought it was the residence of rival West Side Tonga Gang members, who he blamed for violence against family members in the Eastside Shoreview Crips.

For Munoz, her husband’s lack of involvement in the arson murder is an extremely important point she hopes others will understand. 

“He had no connection to that, and he was never connected to that,” she said. “Junior had never any involvement with that, so they killed an innocent man and blamed him for something he had no fault whatsoever for.” 

She remembers Muasika Jr. as a loving father to their son, who is healthy and thriving despite partial vision injuries from the shooting that thankfully, largely don’t impact his life, Munoz said. She also recalled his commitment to the music industry and the respect he garnered among other artists and community members. 

“He was attentive, playful. He loved our son with his whole heart. And beyond a great father, he was a very devoted son. He loved his parents, respected them, honored them, loved his siblings,” Munoz said. “In the community, a leader. He was someone that gave opportunities to music artists that wanted to learn. He was a respected leader in our community. He was a respected artist in the music world.”