Trial Set for May in Beyoncé Hard Drive Theft Case

A trial date has been set for May 11 in the case of Kelvin Evans, the man charged with stealing hard drives that held unreleased Beyoncé recordings and tour blueprints. Evans faces a felony count of entering a motor vehicle with intent to commit theft, plus a misdemeanor criminal trespassing charge. He pleaded not guilty.

The theft occurred last July in Atlanta, while Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour was in town. Choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue discovered a broken trunk window on their rental car and two missing suitcases. Those suitcases contained the hard drives, which stored both music and logistical plans for the tour. An arrest warrant followed roughly a week after a police report was filed. Evans was taken into custody in August and formally named as the suspect in September.

The case is a stark reminder of how exposed touring artists can be, even beyond the stage. Unreleased material travels in vulnerable physical formats, often in vehicles and temporary lodgings. Beyoncé’s operation is famously airtight, but no amount of digital security can fully protect hardware that sits in a rented trunk. The upcoming trial will determine whether Evans is held responsible for what investigators described as a targeted break-in.

No details about the contents of the hard drives have been made public, but the stakes for any unreleased Beyoncé project are obviously high. The court proceedings will take place in Fulton County, where the alleged theft happened.