XXXTentacion Murder Suspects Found Guilty

Three men were found guilty in the murder of rapper XXXTentacion outside a South Florida motorcycle shop in 2018. Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery on Monday by a jury after seven days of deliberations. All three will be sentenced to life in prison at a later date.

XXXTentacion, real name Jahseh Dwayne Richardo Onfroy, was killed on June 18, 2018, outside Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, near Fort Lauderdale. He was 20. Prosecutors used surveillance footage from inside and outside the store, and cellphone video that showed the defendants with $100 bills hours after Onfroy was killed, notes The Associated Press. Prosecutors also identified Boatwright as the one who shot the rapper.

A fourth man, Robert Allen, was also involved in the robbery according to prosecutors. Allen testified for prosecutors after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 2022. He could be sentenced to between time served and life in prison. Defense attorneys accused Allen of lying to prosecutors to avoid a mandatory life sentence. They also accused prosecutors of not looking into other suspects, including Drake, with whom XXXTentacion had an online feud. In his closing, defense attorney Joseph Kimok also claimed DNA found on XXXTentacion’s body and necklace did not match the defendants.

XXXTentacion was shot after leaving the shop with a friend. An SUV blocked the rapper’s BMW, and surveillance footage showed two masked men confronting the singer at the driver’s window. They shot at XXXTentacion repeatedly and grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag with $50,000 in cash inside. The gunmen got back into their SUV and fled the scene. Williams was the driver, and Newsome was the second gunman, prosecutors said.

Allen was a passenger in the SUV and testified that the men planned to rob someone that day. When they saw XXXTentacion in the shop, they decided to make him their target, Allen claimed. Prosecutors said the men came up with a plan the day before the shooting to rent a vehicle and commit various robberies in the area, notes CBS News.

XXXTentacion was born in Plantation, Florida, and gained attention for his 2015 song “Look at Me.” He released three albums in his lifetime and a fourth album in 2019. He is the subject of the 2022 Hulu documentary Look at Me. His family has continued releasing new music, including the single “I’m Not Human,” which features Lil Uzi Vert.