Archie Eversole’s “We Ready” still plays in stadiums. Days before his brother’s murder trial, prosecutors dropped every charge

For more than four years, one of Atlanta’s most played sports anthems has carried a question with it. On Friday, Georgia prosecutors said they could not answer it in court.

The DeKalb County District Attorney’s office dismissed every charge against Alexander Krause, the older brother of rapper Arthur “Archie” Eversole. Prosecutors drafted a nolle prosequi order, the formal notice that the state will not proceed, and DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Brian Lake signed it, ending the case. The trial had been due to begin the following week.

“Our decision in this matter reflects our commitment to justice, fairness, and transparency,” the DA’s office said.

What happened in 2022?

Just after 7.30am on 25 March 2022, Eversole arrived at a petrol station on Snapfinger Woods Drive in unincorporated DeKalb County, near Decatur, seeking help after being shot at the home he shared with his brother. He told officers someone had shot him while he slept, but could not say who. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and died of his injuries just over a week later.

Police went to the house and arrested Mr Krause. Officers said they found blood on his socks; he told them he got it when he went into his brother’s room after hearing a gunshot.

Why was the case dropped?

The DA’s office said its review found no evidence of a dispute between the brothers, and messages on Eversole’s phone suggested they had a good relationship. The gun was recovered from Eversole’s bedroom; the brothers co-owned it, and both men’s DNA was found on it. Prosecutors identified no motive.

The office said the evidence could not rule out the reasonable possibility that the injury was self-inflicted, and that it could not prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

Prosecutors had earlier told the court that Eversole made statements implicating his brother. Mr Krause’s lawyer, David Schnipper, disputed that, arguing Eversole never identified him as the shooter.

Who was Archie Eversole?

Eversole was a metro Atlanta rapper who broke through in the early 2000s with “We Ready”, a chant-along track that became a sports anthem and has kept playing at games ever since. Years later, Atlanta United chose him to record the club’s anthem, “United We Conquer”, tying him to the city’s sporting life for a second generation of fans.

What does the dismissal mean?

Under United States law, a nolle prosequi ends the prosecution. Mr Krause, who had been free on bond since August 2022, no longer faces any charge over his brother’s death, and the case is closed. The DA’s office has not said whether the investigation could ever be reopened.

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