Bay Area rapper Johnny
"Johnny Ca$h" Castaneda died Thursday (Mar. 29) from a gunshot wound
to the head, after being shot multiple times in an apartment complex in Vallejo,
CA. According
to reports, Ca$h was signed to Mac Dre’s Thizz Entertainment, but joined the label
after Mac Dre was gunned down in 2004.While
authorities haven’t released details of their investigation, Ca$h’s murder is
the second violent incident connected to Mac Dre’s name in the Sereno Village
apartment complex within the past three months.Mario
Espinsosa Matthews and Arthur Appling allegedly shot and killed Eli Issac Griffin
during a botched robbery attempt. The
men are currently standing trial for murdering Griffin.Yesterday
(Mar. 30), a witness testified that she saw Matthews on the day of the shooting
looking drunk and "hyper," wearing a mask of Mac Dre and dancing around
with a gun.
Ca$h’s murder is the latest in a string of violent incidents surrounding Mac Dre.
In 2003,
Sacramento rapper C-Bo, San Francisco rapper Messy Marv and Kansas City based
associate and rapper Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins were in an SUV that
was shot and struck multiple times.Fat
Tone suffered the most severe injuries, but survived from several gunshot wounds.
One
month later, in Nov. 2004, Mac Dre was killed in a drive-by shooting and crash
in Kansas City. While
a suspect was never arrested for Mac Dre’s death, police believed Fat Tone was
behind the shooting and murder. Six
months after Mac Dre was murdered, both Fat Tone and an associate named Jermaine
"Cowboy" Akins were found murdered in a vacant construction area near
Las Vegas, NV. Fat
Tone’s family members claimed he went to Las Vegas to meet with Bay Area rapper
Andre "Mac Minister" Dow. Mac
Minister had supposedly arranged for Fat Tone to meet with Snoop Dogg, who happened
to be playing in town that evening. Witnesses
also claimed to have seen Mac Minister leaving the hotel with Fat Tone and Cowboy.
Dow
was indicted for the murders of Fat Tone and Cowboy, but he fled, leading to his
profile being showcased on the hit television series America’s Most Wanted.
Hewas captured in San Francisco in Mar. 2006 and charged with unlawful flight to
avoid prosecution.