The owner of Studio 8, where Eminem recorded his debut album The Slim Shady LP, was found shot to death Tuesday (Jan. 4) inside the Detroit venue, police said.
A business associate of Amjed Abdallah found the 36-year-old on the floor of the studio, according to Detective Lt. Norman Raymond.
Police retrieved three bullet casings from a .357-caliber revolver, Raymond said.
Investigators concluded that Abdallah was shot twice and had probably been dead at least two days.
“There’s a possibility of robbery,” Raymond told the Associated Press. “People who use the studio told us to look for some fairly pricey equipment and it was missing.”
Several people interrogated said Abdallah had no known enemies.
“Everybody says he was a prince of a guy,” Raymond said. “He did record for rappers, gangster rap and hip-hop, but we haven’t found anyone who had any particular problem with him yet.”
Investigators have not established a motive for Abdallah’s homicide, Raymond said.
Abdallah’s apartment was above the two-story building on Eight Mile Road where Studio 8 is located.
The real estate firm, Grubb & Ellis, put the building up for auction last month on eBay for $215,000.
Abdallah reportedly wanted to sell the Detroit studio because he was frequently in New York.
Eminem recorded his multi-platinum album, The Slim Shady LP, at Studio 8 in 1997.
The album was released in 1999.