Beyonce Unreleased Music Theft: Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

The man accused of stealing unreleased Beyoncé music and tour plans from a rental car in Atlanta last summer pleaded not guilty to theft charges on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Kelvin Evans appeared virtually in Fulton County court yesterday, where he met and spoke with his public defender before entering his guilty plea, according to local news. Evans reportedly said little else during the hearing, and his lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.

Evans is facing a felony charge of entering a motor vehicle with the intent to commit theft, as well as a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing. He’ll next appear in court on Feb. 11 for a case management hearing. 

The hard drives containing the unreleased music and tour plans were stolen last July as Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour rolled through Atlanta. Choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue said they parked their rental car at around 8 p.m., and when they returned an hour later, the trunk window was damaged and two suitcases were missing. 

In a police report, Grant told officers that he had been carrying “personal sensitive information for the musician Beyoncé” and that hard drives for her upcoming show in Atlanta were also taken. The hard drives contained “water marked music, some un-released music, footage plans for the show, and past and future set list,” per the police report. 

While an arrest warrant was issued for a suspect about a week later, it wasn’t until late August that police arrested Evans, though that was for an unrelated parole violation. In mid-September, he was officially named the suspect in the Beyoncé case. Evans has been out on a $20,000 bond since October.