Studio A Shooter Charged With First-Degree Murder

(Photo by Ivon David Rojas)

The Herald reported yesterday a small item following up on this past April's shooting at the now-defunct Studio A. A 22-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 24-year-old alleged victim. The shooting took place on Sunday, April 14, during the club's well-attended Sunday night hip-hop party. While that weekly event featured a drastically different audience and musical vibe than the rest of the club's programming, it had reportedly, in the club's latter days, become much of Studio A's financial bread and butter.

Many saw the shooting as the final straw in a series of difficulties for the club, which included its often-crime-plagued environs, often-spotty show attendance, and the inability to make a weekly party really stick. The venue, the only one of its size and talent draw in Miami proper, shuttered this summer after fulfilling its last major show obligation, a Ladytron-Datarock double bill that drew a crowd lined up down the block.
The club that took over the space, Kukaramakara, also focuses on live music -- Latin music, that is. It's the first United States outpost of a popular Colombian nightlife chain, and by all accounts seems to be succeeding. (Studio B, Studio A's sister club in Brooklyn, continues to thrive.)

These murder charges bring the perpetrator closer to justice, and the family of the victim nearer to closure. But they also serve as another sad footnote in the history of the place that should have been downtown Miami's live music jewel. R.I.P., all around.

-- Arielle Castillo