XXXTENTACION: THREE MEN FOUND GUILTY OF KILLING RAPPER IN 2018

March 21, 2023
2 years ago

Three men have been found guilty of killing rapper XXXTentacion, 20, during an ambush robbery in 2018.

After deliberating for more than a week, a jury in Florida found Michael Boatwright, 27, Trayvon Newsome, 24, and Dedrick Williams, 26, guilty on Monday.

In the wake of the controversial rapper's death, all three were charged with first-degree murder.

Robert Allen, another man, made a guilty plea to second-degree murder the year before.

The three could receive a life sentence in prison. In June of 2018, rapper XXXTentacion, better known by his stage name Jahseh Onfroy, was shot and killed in broad daylight in Florida.

According to police at the time, he was leaving a motorcycle shop when he was approached by two armed, masked men who "demanded property" from him.

XXXTentacion was shot by at least one of the men during a 45-second struggle. The suspects then fled the scene in an SUV after grabbing a Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 (£42,000) in cash that the rapper had just withdrawn from the bank.

Boatwright's attorney argued that XXXTentacion's DNA was not found on his client's body during the trial. During closing arguments, attorney Joseph Kimok stated, "Whoever (XXXTentacion) struggled with is not in this courtroom." He claimed that the DNA of the two other men did not match.

Allen, the fourth suspect, pleaded guilty last year and testified against the other three. Allen's attorneys have argued that their client lied about his involvement in the robbery and death.

They also claimed that the investigation was bungled and that additional suspects were not taken into account.

However, lead prosecutor Pascale Achille stated that the absence of DNA evidence was irrelevant because cell phone data indicates that the three accused were together near the motorcycle shop when the rapper died.

According to Ms. Achille, the accused were in the SUV that the shooters were using at the same time, as evidenced by Bluetooth data.

As evidence, the prosecution presented surveillance footage from the motorcycle shop as well as footage from the accused's cell phone allegedly taken hours after the homicide in which they are seen flashing a number of $100 bills.

The songs by XXXTentacion dealt with depression, loneliness, being abandoned, and suicide. During his brief career, the rising rap artist with a platinum record encountered a few controversies.

Domestic violence allegations plagued his personal life. At the time of his death, he was facing 15 felony charges, including aggravated battery on a pregnant woman, strangulation in the home, and witness tampering.

His song "Look at Me" shot to No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 after taking off on SoundCloud.

Shortly after his death, many of his songs made it to the top of the charts in the United Kingdom and the United States, and thousands of fans attended his funeral.