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Three men were found guilty Monday of first degree murder for the 2018 murder of star rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot outside a motorcycle shop in South Florida while robbing him of $50,000.
Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24were also declared guilty of armed robbery by a jury that returned its verdict less than an hour after beginning its eighth day of deliberations.
His sentencing, which Circuit Judge Michael Usan set for April 6, will be largely a formality; Florida law provides life in prison for first-degree murder convictions.
The defendants, two dressed in suits and one in a button-down shirt, showed little emotion as they stood up one by one to be handcuffed by a bailiff. There was no audible reaction from family members and other observers in the courtroom. Before the verdicts were read out, Usan warned that anyone causing any kind of disturbance would be held in contempt of court.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office thanked the jurors and prosecutors in a statement, but said it would not comment further until sentencing.
Williams’ lawyer, Mauricio Padilla, told The Associated Press that he does not believe his client received a fair trial. He noted that a crucial defense witness was injured and that a key witness was barred from testifying. Phone messages were left with attorneys representing Boatright and Newsome.
“It is obvious from the days when the jury was deliberating that they had questions and I only wish I could have properly defended my client,” Padilla said in an email.
During the month-long trial, prosecutors linked Boatwright, Williams and Newsome to the June 18, 2018 shooting outside Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale through extensive surveillance video taken inside and outside the store, as well as cell phone videos the men took showing handfuls of $100 hours after the murder.
Prosecutors also had the testimony of a fourth man, Robert Allen, a former friend of the defendants, who said he participated in the robbery. He pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder. He has not been sentenced pending the conclusion of this trial. He could go anywhere between time served, which means he could soon be released, and life, depending in part on how much weight prosecutors place on helping him.
Defense attorneys accused Allen of being a liar motivated by his desire to avoid a life sentence. They also said prosecutors and detectives conducted a flawed investigation that failed to test other potential suspects, including Canadian rap star Drake; he and XXXTentacion had a feud online.
Boatwright was identified as the primary shooter.. Twice in the past week, the jury asked to review 17 text messages that prosecutors said he sent to various people from the time he woke up around 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., about an hour before the shooting. . He then stopped texting for about two hours.
About an hour after the shooting, Boatwright sent a text message that read: “Tell my brother I have the money for the new phone.” Minutes later, he sent someone a screenshot of a news story saying XXXTentacion had been shot, prosecutors said.
XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports with a friend when a van swerved in front of him, blocking his BMW.
Surveillance video showed two masked gunmen emerging and confronting the 20-year-old singer in the driver’s window, with one shooting him repeatedly. They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing cash that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, climbed back into the van, and sped away. The friend was not injured.
Newsome was accused of being the other gunman. Williams was accused of being the driver of the van and Allen of being inside the vehicle.
Allen testified that the men left that day to commit robberies and went to the motorcycle shop to buy Williams a mask. There they saw the rapper and decided to target him. Allen and Williams entered the store to confirm that it was him. They then returned to the van they had rented, waited for XXXTentacion to come out, and ambushed him, according to testimony.
The rapper, who pronounced his name “Ex ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN,” was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled topics like prejudice and depression in his songs. He also received criticism for his misbehavior and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.
(with information from AP)
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