Three men found guilty of murdering XXXTentacion in 2018
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Three men have been found guilty of the murder of 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion, who was killed during an ambush robbery in 2018.
Following a week of deliberations, on Monday a Florida jury convicted 27-year-old Michael Boatwright, 26-year-old Dedrick Williams and 24-year-old Trayvon Newsome. All three were charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of XXXTentacion – whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy – and now face a possible sentence of life behind bars.
Another man, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder.
XXXTentacion was shot and killed in broad daylight on 18 June 2018. He had been visiting a motorcycle shop and was leaving when he was approached by two armed and masked men who "demanded property" from him, police said at the time.
The rapper was then shot during a 45-second struggle with at least one of the men, and the suspects went on to steal a Louis Vuitton bag full of cash – totalling $50,000 (£42,000) – that he had just withdrawn from the bank, before fleeing the scene in an SUV.
During the trial, Boatwright's lawyer argued that his client's DNA was not found on XXXTentacion's body, and said the DNA of the two other suspects did not match either. "Whoever [XXXTentacion] struggled with is not in this courtroom," Joseph Kimok said during closing arguments.
To that, lead prosecutor Pascale Achille said that the lack of DNA evidence was irrelevant. He pointed to cell phone data that shows the three accused were together near the motorcycle shop at the time of XXXTentacion's death. Achille also noted that Bluetooth data shows the accused were in the SUV used by the shooters at that same time.
Elsewhere during the trial, the fourth suspect, Allen, testified against the other three. In response, the other suspects' lawyers argued that Allen lied about their involvement in the robbery and murder. They also claimed that investigators mishandled the case and failed to consider other suspects.
In his brief career, XXXTentacion became a platinum-selling artist, exploring themes of depression, loneliness and suicide. But his music was overshadowed by his controversial personal life, and he was facing 15 felony charges at the time of his death, including aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation and witness tampering.
A sentencing hearing for the three men found guilty of XXXTentacion's murder is set to take place at a later date.
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