Jury Convicts Three Men Of First-Degree Murder, Armed Robbery In Killing Of Rapper XXXTentacion
A Florida jury found three men guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the killing of rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot by masked gunmen outside a motorcycle shop while they were stealing $50,000 from him.
Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, and Trayvon Newsome were convicted after eight days of deliberations.
XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was only 20 years old when he was killed on June 18, 2018, outside Riva Motorsports in the suburbs of Fort Lauderdale.
The conviction came about through a review of surveillance footage, data from over a thousand cellphones, and the testimony of Robert Allen, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year. Boatwright was identified as the primary shooter, Newsome as the other shooter, and Williams as the driver of the SUV.
Cleopatra Bernard, XXXTentacion’s mother, expressed her gratitude that justice was done after the conviction.
Williams’ attorney, Mauricio Padilla, disagreed with the verdict and stated that he believes the court did not afford his client a fair trial.
According to testimony, the four men had planned to commit robberies, which led them to the motorcycle shop to purchase a mask for Williams. Once there, they decided to target XXXTentacion after spotting him inside.
An SUV swerved in front of XXXTentacion’s car, and two gunmen approached the driver’s window. One of the gunmen shot XXXTentacion before escaping with a Louis Vitton bag filled with $50,000 cash. The other passenger was left unharmed.
Boatwright was identified as the primary shooter after reviewing text messages. One of them said, “Tell my brother I got the money for the new phone.” A few minutes later, he sent a screenshot of a news article reporting XXXTentacion’s shooting.
Under Florida law, first-degree murder convictions constitute a life sentence. Allen, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, could get anywhere from time served to a life sentence—depending on how much prosecutors consider his testimony.
XXXTentacion rose to fame with his debut album “17″. However, he was awaiting trial on charges of battery, false imprisonment, and witness tampering stemming from the alleged violent assault of a former girlfriend.
The judge set the sentencing for April 6.
‘From “Jury Convicts Three Men Of First-Degree Murder, Armed Robbery In Killing Of Rapper XXXTentacion”‘
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