Columbus police charge suspect in fatal shooting of rapper ‘Billion Dollar BD’

Columbus police have charged a suspect in the April 6 slaying of a man found on the ground outside the 4236 Buena Vista Road Pizza Hut.

Eric Randall Spencer has been charged in the fatal shooting of Branden Denson, whose body was discovered about 10:28 p.m. in the restaurant parking lot, on the pavement between his vehicle and another car, detectives said.

Denson, 32, died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan.

Police got warrants Friday charging Spencer with murder, armed robbery, using a firearm to commit a crime, and being a convicted felon with a gun, investigators said. Patrol officers got a tip on Spencer’s location and captured him Friday, police said.

Spencer is to have a preliminary hearing in Columbus Recorder’s Court at 9 a.m. Monday.

Denson was a rapper who went by the name “Billion Dollar BD.” His mother Marcia Denson said he’d been singing for about a year before his death.

“This was not something that as a child he ever thought about,” she said. “He was promoting other people for a good three or four years. Someone asked him to do a rap and he did it and liked it.”

Some of his popular singles include “Power” and “BMF.”

“He was ready to bust out with his music,” his mother said. “Everyone in Columbus knew him. He performed in Columbus and Atlanta. He had CDs out. He was really blowing up.”

She said Denson was always nervous before he performed: “Once he got going, he was fine. Every time he got ready to do a performance, he would say ‘I’m so nervous.’ He was getting better. He wrote all his own raps. He did it all himself.”

A native of West Palm Beach, Fla., Denson came to Columbus about six years ago, she said.

This story was originally published May 4, 2018 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Columbus police charge suspect in fatal shooting of rapper ‘Billion Dollar BD’."