HOUSTON – A man accused of killing Houston rapper BTB Savage in alleged retaliation for a death that occurred in San Antonio earlier this year has been arrested, according to Houston police.
Montrel Lenard Burley, 40, was booked into the Harris County Jail on a murder charge for the March 30 shooting of the rapper, whose real name is Darrell Gentry, 26, police said. He turned himself in on Tuesday morning.
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He was expected in court on Tuesday, according to KPRC, KSAT’s sister station in Houston. Another unknown killer is also wanted.
IN CUSTODY: Booking photo of Montrel Lenard Burley, 40, who surrendered to authorities today after he was charged with murder in the March 30 fatal shooting of a man at 2100 Mid Lane.
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) April 11, 2023
More info at https://t.co/aELHQbkowf#hounews #OneSafeHouston https://t.co/TcaqelasNO pic.twitter.com/x3blYVhkg6
Police said that Gentry was shot in a drive-by at a parking garage in the affluent Houston neighborhood of River Oaks. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses said two suspects fled in a black Subaru SUV at a high rate of speed. That Subaru had a Florida license plate but was rented out of San Antonio, according to documents obtained by KPRC.
About 26 hours before the shooting, surveillance footage showed the Subaru traveling eastbound on Interstate 10 toward the Houston area. At around 7 p.m. on March 29, authorities believe the Subaru’s plates were swapped with plates from a stolen Kia, the documents state.
About two hours after the shooting, the Florida plates were then put back on the rented Subaru, and the Subaru traveled back toward San Antonio, KPRC reported.
Cell phone data showed Burley near the rapper’s apartment in the hours leading up to the shooting. The data also showed that Burley returned to his home in New Braunfels that night.
The following morning, investigators had a search warrant for the Subaru and conducted a stop.
Burley was riding as a passenger as his fiancée drove, authorities said, and he was arrested on a drug possession charge.
He told police that he wasn’t in the Subaru at the time of the shooting, and then asked for an attorney, KPRC reported.
KPRC reported that it’s unclear how long he was in custody. At the time, he wasn’t charged with the rapper’s death.
Houston police announced his charges on Friday, more than a week after the shooting. They had asked for the public’s help in searching for him.
WANTED: This is Montrel Lenard Burley, 40, now charged with murder in this fatal shooting of a man last Thursday (March 30).
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) April 7, 2023
If you know his whereabouts, call HPD Homicide 713-308-3600 or reward up to $5k @CrimeStopHOU.
More info: https://t.co/H3EtuVNyp9 #hounews https://t.co/tnQ9QK9sP4 pic.twitter.com/wrnf8Pu9zt
Gentry’s family told KPRC that his death may be connected with a shooting that happened in San Antonio.
Documents state that Burley was friends with a man who was killed by Gentry and his fiancée at an area apartment in February.
San Antonio police said Gentry was not charged in the shooting, as that person tried to rob Gentry and his fiancée at gunpoint.
The rapper spoke about the incident in an interview with DJ Vlad, which was published on YouTube on March 26.
“That interview ... It ignited a fire. It ignited a fire to where they were saying, ‘Oh we’re going to kill you’,” the rapper’s mother, Bernita Ward, told KPRC. “I just want the truth to be told and justice to be served.”