Two Bay Area men have been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the retaliatory murder of San Mateo rapper Ueta Muasika in October 2020, a crime that also left his two-year-old son wounded.

The sentencing of John Paasi and Isileli Mahe brings to an end a six-year legal battle stemming from a cycle of gang violence that tragically claimed an 86-year-old grandmother, a young rapper, and nearly his toddler son. The case highlights the devastating ripple effects of retaliatory acts within the Bay Area's interconnected communities.

John Paasi, 33, of San Mateo, and Isileli Mahe, 34, of Oakland, received their sentences from San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Michael K. Wendler on July 23, 2026. A jury had previously convicted both men in March 2026 of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of lying in wait, and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, after a 24-day trial.

The murder of Ueta Savelio Muasika Jr., known as the rapper "Juice Boi," occurred on October 30, 2020, outside his San Mateo home. Muasika died at the scene, while his two-year-old son was shot once in the face but remarkably survived after emergency medical treatment. Prosecutors revealed the motive was revenge for a 2019 arson.

Paasi's grandmother, 86-year-old Susana Tonga, perished in a San Mateo house fire set by Muasika's cousin, Fifita Tau. Tau, a member of the Eastside Shoreview Crips gang, targeted members of the West Side Tonga gang, whom he blamed for prior violence against his family. Prosecutors made it clear that Muasika had no involvement in the 2019 arson, but was nonetheless targeted due to his familial connection.

Following the 2020 murder, Paasi and Mahe were tracked and apprehended in North Carolina and Hawaii, respectively, after an extensive multi-state manhunt.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe underscored the arduous journey to justice, stating, "From the time it occurred, it took six years to get to this stage of justice. The police had to run down these guys in North Carolina, [in] Hawaii, where they were hiding out after they committing the murder, and then it just took forever to get it through the system." Wagstaffe added, "As we stand, they are each facing the reality that they will die in state prison, and for the conduct that they engaged in, that is an appropriate sentence."

Defense attorney Brandon Douglass, representing Mahe, confirmed his client's intention to appeal the conviction. Douglass noted that "the court didn't really have discretion, unfortunately, so the sentence was basically baked in" given the charges and special allegations. Muasika's widow, Leslie Munoz, expressed a sense of relief following the sentencing, saying, "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."