The man charged in the murder of young rapper XXXTentacion has been held without bail.
Dedrick D. Williams made his first court appearance on Thursday in connection to the fatal shooting of 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, according to TMZ.
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Williams, 22, remained silent during the hearing as the Broward County Courthouse judge ruled there was enough probable cause to hold him on charges of first-degree murder, driving without a valid license, and a probation violation for theft of a car.
The 22-year-old suspect’s public defender attempted to convince the judge to offer Williams bail, the The Blast reports, claiming that prosecutors have no “live witness” to corroborate the charges, but the judge still ordered that he be held without bond.
Williams was taken into police custody by the Broward County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday in connection to the June 18 murder of XXXTentacion, who had been shot while shopping for motorcycles in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Officers had reportedly pulled him over Wednesday night for driving without a license and placed him under police custody for an active felony warrant that had been signed Tuesday.
The 22-year-old already has a lengthy criminal record, having previously been arrested for cocaine possession, weapons possession, domestic violence, and aggravated assault with a firearm. He was also arrested for grand theft auto, a charge that he now faces a probation violation for. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday for that charge.
Along with Williams, authorities have issued arrest warrants for two other individuals believed to be connected to XXXTentacion’s death. Those two suspects have not yet been publicly identified nor have they been taken into police custody.
XXXTentacion, best known for his albums 7 and ?, and his mixtape Revenge, was shot dead in his car as he was leaving a motorcycle dealership in Broward County, Florida on Monday. Originally transported to a local hospital as a level 1 trauma patient reportedly in a state of comatose, the Broward Sheriff’s Office announced at 5:39 p.m. ET that the young rapper had died.
Witnesses reported seeing two black males wearing purple hoodies with long sleeves and claimed that the shooter had been wearing a red mask. The suspects allegedly fled the scene in a black Dodge Journey, Chevy Tahoe, or Jeep Grand Cherokee. A Louis Vuitton bag had allegedly been taken from XXXTentacion’s vehicle.
It is believed that the murder was an armed robbery gone wrong.
