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Three Men Found Guilty in XXXTentacion Murder Trial
A verdict has been reached in the XXXTentacion murder trial.
Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright, and Trayvon Newsome were all found guilty of killing the rapper during a robbery outside a motorcycle shop in 2018.
Following a week of deliberation, a Florida jury reached its verdict on Monday, March 20. Closing arguments in the case wrapped on Wednesday, March 8.
All three men were convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery and face mandatory life sentences. A fourth person, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year and testified for the prosecution against the other three.
XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was shot and killed as he was leaving Riva Motorsports on June 18, 2018 when his vehicle was blocked by an SUV. Two masked gunmen emerged and demanded his money before one shot him. They fled with $50,000 in cash that X had in a Louis Vuitton bag. The 20-year-old rapper died at the hospital shortly after.
The trial began back in February, nearly five years after XXXTentacion’s murder. The prosecution argued that X was killed in a robbery gone wrong. Surveillance video played in court showed the moment the two masked gunmen attacked the rapper’s car with guns drawn.
During closing arguments, Boatwright’s attorney, Joseph Kimok, claimed that there was no DNA evidence connecting the defendants to the murder, while Newsome’s attorney, George Reres, encouraged the jury not to be swayed by social media posts showing the suspects with the money.
Williams’ lawyer, Mauricio Padilla, attempted to raise doubt by bringing up an alleged feud between Drake and XXXTentacion, and even tried to get Drake to sit for a deposition. The judge ultimately ruled that Drake would not be deposed due to lack of evidence linking him to the shooting.