Three men have been convicted guilty of the 2018 murder of XXXTentacion, a rapper who was shot in broad daylight in South Florida while being robbed of $50,000.
After seven days of deliberation, a jury found Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
XXXTentacion Death Trial
They will get mandatory life sentences at a later date; the death penalty, which is technically still in effect in Florida, was not sought by prosecutors in this case.
Prosecutors were able to link the guys to the shooting that occurred on June 18, 2018, outside of Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale by analyzing hours-later smartphone videos in which they flashed fistfuls of $100 bills.
Robert Allen, a former acquaintance of the defendants, testified that he too took part in the crime, giving the prosecution additional evidence. He admitted to second-degree murder a year ago and served time. Since this trial is ongoing, he has not yet been given a sentence. In part because of how helpful he was to prosecutors, his sentence could range from time served meaning he could be released soon to live in prison.
Allen’s defense attorneys said he was lying to get out of serving life in prison. They also claimed that the investigation conducted by prosecutors and police was subpar, citing as an example the absence of any inquiry into Canadian rap singer Drake, who had engaged in an online battle with XXXTentacion.
The jury has twice this week requested to see the shooter whom prosecutors have named as Boatwright texts from the day of the incident.
A printout supplied by the prosecution indicates that between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., nearly an hour before the shooting, XXXTentacion sent 17 texts to various individuals, including one regarding the purchase of a vehicle.
According to authorities, a woman’s SUV was rented via a mobile app and then utilized in the shooting. In the following two hours, he did not send another SMS.
XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports with a companion when a swerving Vehicle obstructed his BMW.
Two masked shooters confronted the 20-year-old singer at the driver’s window, and one fired multiple shots at him, as seen on surveillance camera. They then snatched a Louis Vuitton bag holding the cash that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, climbed back into the SUV, and fled. The companion suffered no harm.
Newsome was suspected of being the second shooter. Williams was suspected of driving the SUV while Allen was a passenger.
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Suspects’ Robbery Plan
Allen said that the men planned to execute robberies that day and went to the motorcycle store to get a mask for Williams.
There, they identified the rapper as their intended target. Allen and Williams entered the store to authenticate his identity. According to evidence, they then returned to the leased Car, waited for XXXTentacion to emerge, and attacked him.
The rapper, whose name was pronounced “Ex-ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN,” was a platinum-selling emerging artist whose lyrics addressed discrimination and sadness. Onfrey was facing 15 criminal charges and many allegations of domestic violence at the time of his death.
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