Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams and Trayvon Newsome are convicted for first-degree murder and armed robbery for their involvement in the shooting death of the rapper in 2018.
- March 21, 2023
AceShowbiz - XXXTentacion's family is finally getting the justice they deserved for the shocking passing of the star. Nearly five years after the shooting death of the rapper, whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, three suspects have been found guilty in the 2018 killing.
On Monday, March 20, jury found Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, guilty of first-degree murder. The threesome was also convicted of armed robbery by a jury that rendered its verdict less than an hour after beginning its eighth day of deliberations.
All three men face life sentences. Prosecutors decided against seeking the death penalty. Circuit Judge Michael Usan set their sentencing for April 6, but as per AP's report, it will largely be a formality because Florida law dictates a life sentence for first-degree murder convictions.
A 4th man named Robert Allen was also arrested in connection to the killing, but he pled guilty in 2022 to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against the other 3 suspects. He claimed he was hesitant about the robbery and even asked the others to ditch the idea in the moment. He has not been sentenced pending the conclusion of this trial.
Following the guilty verdict for the three suspects, fans took to Twitter to celebrate the outcome of the month-long trial. "Took them long enough! RIP X!" one fan posted on the micro-blogging site. Another reacted, "Justice won Even though it took a while."
A third user echoed the sentiment, "Took Them 5yrs But Justice Won I Guess LLX." Another angry fan tweeted, "don't talk about them anymore let them rot in their cells."
XXXTentacion's death shocked everyone. On June 18, 2018, the Florida rapper was ambushed by armed men upon leaving Riva Motorsports Motorcycle & Marine Superstore in Deerfield Beach, Florida. After a brief struggle, the robbers took away a small Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 and shot XXXTentacion several times. He was later transported by paramedics to the nearby Broward Health North hospital in Deerfield Beach, where he was pronounced dead. He was only 20 years old.
