The Trial For 3 Men Charged With The Murder Of XXXTentacion To Begin

The 3 Men Charged With The Murder Of XXXTentacion Is Set To Begin Trial

The trial of three men charged with killing rising rap star XXXTentacion in 2018 will begin next week with jury selection.

Michael Boatwright, 28; Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, could all face life sentences if convicted of killing and robbing the 20-year-old artist outside a South Florida motorcycle shop. All three have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. Jury selection begins Jan. 18.

A fourth suspect, Robert Allen, 26, flipped on the other three men and plans to testify against them. Allen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was an ascending star whose second album, “?,” topped the charts in March 2018.

 

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About three months later, on June 18, he was leaving Riva Motorsports near Fort Lauderdale when an SUV blocked his BMW. Two men hopped out of the SUV, robbed XXXTentacion and shot him dead. The killing was caught on surveillance video. Prosecutors identified the two men as Boatwright and Newsome. Boatwright fired the fatal shots, according to investigators.

Williams and Allen formed a lookout squad that followed XXXTentacion into the shop, left before he did and reported his movements to Boatwright and Newsome in the SUV, prosecutors said.

Police said Boatwright’s fingerprints were found on the driver’s door of XXXTentacion’s car. A motorcycle shop employee identified Williams, allegedly a regular customer. Williams has claimed he didn’t know the other three men were planning to rob and kill a man.

Social media photos showed Williams and Allen together, and Williams’ girlfriend told police the second gunman was Newsome, according to prosecutors. Cellphone data also placed the four men at the crime scene, police said.