Man pleads guilty to stealing unreleased Beyoncé music while she was on tour

ATLANTA — Kelvin Evans, the man charged in the case involving unreleased music recorded by Beyoncé that was stolen from members of her team while she was in Atlanta on tour last year, pleaded guilty in the case Tuesday.

That came before a jury trial was set to take place, with Evans taking a plea offer from prosecutors after previously rejecting deals. He faced up to six years in prison in the case but was given only two years under a deal accepted by the judge.

Evans will get credit for time served after being arrested in September, but he also had a previous parole violation and more than a half-dozen other car break-in cases that were outlined in court Tuesday, making it unclear for now exactly how much jail time he has to serve at this juncture.

Prosecutors played video in court showing the theft at a parking garage, saying it would have been their evidence had the case gone to trial. They said while they felt they had a strong case, there was also a “sense of uncertainty as it relates to a jury trial” in offering the deal with a desire to get some certainty.

“While we believe the State had a very strong case, there are some parts that are circumstantial that a reasonable jury may have found a defendant not guilty, so that’s the basis for the plea recommendation,” the prosecutor explained.

Evans, for his part, at one point seemed to chafe at admitting guilty but ultimately affirmed his plea. His lawyer said he was taking responsibility and has a 3-year-old daughter. 

“He is looking forward to putting this … behind him and hoping for a future where he can make money legitimately, be part of society just like the rest of us,” the defense attorney stated.

Ultimately he pleaded guilty to one count of entering an automobile, for which he got a 5-year sentence (two years in prison, three on probation) and the second count in his indictment, criminal trespass, was merged into the first count. He was sentenced as a recidivist and is not eligible for parole.

The incident happened in July of last year and he was arrested a few months later.

The theft happened in a parking deck on July 8, two days before her first “Cowboy Carter” tour stop in Atlanta. Two people who claimed to be part of Beyoncé’s team reported that two suitcases were missing from their black Jeep Wagoneer that was parked at the parking garage. Police also said the two people found the back window busted.

The incident report indicated that the stolen items included jump drives with unreleased watermarked Beyoncé music, footage plans for the show, past and future set lists, two laptops, designer sunglasses and Apple AirPods Max headphones. 

A warrant obtained by 11Alive stated Atlanta Police received screenshots of where the stolen items were pinging after the theft last year. The items pinged at three locations: one on Hank Aaron Drive, Longreen Terrace, and another on North Avenue in Hapeville.

According to warrants, a crime analyst was able to look at surveillance cameras and locate the vehicle that was used in the theft via the license plate. Video from those cameras was played in court Tuesday, and the prosecutor pointed out where the tag on the car was seen in the video.

Police tracked the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on the driver, who was Evans’ niece. Prosecutors explained she had loaned him the car, expecting it to be gone for a few minutes, when he took it to Krog Street, parked next to the Jeep Wagoneer being used by Beyoncé’s team, saw items inside including black suitcases with her unreleased music and other material, and ultimately took them and drove off.