XXXTentacion murder trial: Three suspects found guilty of killing rapper in 2018

Dedrick Williams, Trayvon Newsome, and Michael Boatwright were declared guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery

PUBLISHED MAR 20, 2023

Dedrick Williams(L), Trayvon Newsome (Centre), and Michael Boatwright (R) are found guilty of murdering rapper XXXTentacion (Boward County Sheriff's Office/ Miami Dade County Corrections via Getty Images)

BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA: Dedrick Williams, Trayvon Newsome, and Michael Boatwright, the three main suspects in the fatal murder of rapper XXXTentacion, were found guilty by a jury on Monday, March 20.

Rapper XXXTentacion was shot and killed near Deerfield Beach in Broward County, Florida on June 18, 2018. At the young age of 20, the rapper was shot several times in his vehicle when he was visiting a motorcycle shop.

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First-degree murder

The trio, Dedrick Williams, Trayvon Newsome, and Michael Boatwright, shot and killed the rapper, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, and robbed him of $50,000. Then, they took videos flashing wads of stolen cash after his death.

They were found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery, according to a report by the NY Post. The sentence was passed by the jury in Broward County after they deliberated for more than seven days.

Robert Allen, a fourth man involved in the robbery, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year and testified against the three other defendants but has yet to be sentenced. Allen had been previously arrested on 22 counts of ID fraud, back in 2016.

Defense attorneys for the trio made wild accusations during the trial, including that authorities should have looked at other suspects like the rapper Drake because he had a feud with XXXTentacion.

Fans leave items at a makeshift memorial outside the XXXTentacion Funeral & Fan Memorial at BB&T Center on June 27, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. — Fans leave items at a makeshift memorial outside the XXXTentacion Funeral & Fan Memorial at BB&T Center on June 27, 2018, in Sunrise, Florida (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

Armed robbery

The rapper was on his way out of Riva Motorsports when an SUV swerved in front of his car and blocked him in. Prosecutors released surveillance video of the moments leading up to Onfroy's murder during a court hearing in September 2018. The video showed Onfroy sitting inside his BMW when he was approached by two men who jumped out of the passenger side of a black vehicle, ran to Onfroy's car window, and demanded the rapper's chain.

Dedrick Williams ( L), Trayvon Newsome(center), and Michael Boatwright(R) are guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery (Boward County Sheriff's office)

According to police, when Onfroy put up a fight, he was shot, and the robbers got away with a Louis Vuitton bag. Prosecutors allege Boatwright and Newsome were the two men who jumped out of the black SUV, which is shown in the surveillance video boxing in Onfroy's BMW.

Prosecutors further stated that it was Boatwright who fired into the rapper's car and killed him. Allen was allegedly in the black vehicle the whole time, so he is guilty of second-degree murder, according to a report by ABC News.