A jury has convicted three men of the 2018 murder of rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot and robbed outside a motorcycle shop in Florida.
On Monday, a jury convicted the three men accused of murdering 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion outside a motorcycle shop north of Miami in 2018. Dedrick Williams (26), Trayvon Newsome (24), and Michael Boatwright (28) were found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery. The jury’s deliberation began on March 8.
The rapper, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was shot to death while in a car leaving the shop when an SUV blocked his vehicle to assault and rob him. One assailant repeatedly shot Onfroy while the others stole a Louis Vuitton bag from the car containing $50,000 and escaped in the SUV.
All three men are scheduled to appear in court on April 6 for a sentencing hearing, with first-degree murder charges meaning life sentences. The three men pleaded not guilty, but a fourth individual, Robert Allen (25), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year in return for testifying for the prosecution against the other three.
Prosecutors say that Boatwright was the gunman who opened fire on Onfroy, Newsome was the other gunman, and Williams was the SUV driver. Security footage played in court showed the attack unfolding in the parking lot, with two masked gunmen targeting XXXTentacion’s vehicle with guns drawn. One appears to shoot through the driver’s side window.
Although the defense tried to cast doubt on Allen’s testimony and asserted that authorities failed to investigate Onfroy’s alleged ongoing feud with rapper Drake, the prosecution has insisted no evidence linked Drake to the shooting.
XXXTentacion rocketed to stardom in 2017 when he uploaded the song “Look at Me” on SoundCloud, which reached No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. A few months later, he reportedly inked a $6 million record deal with a Capitol Music Group subsidiary. He rapidly grew a massive and devoted fan base for his music that covered topics like loneliness and depression.
