3 men found guilty of killing rapper XXXTentacion

XXXTentacion was shot and killed in an apparent robbery in 2018.

ByNadine El-Bawab
March 20, 2023, 12:45 PM

Three men involved in the fatal shooting of rapper XXXTentacion were found guilty by a jury on Monday.

Dedrick Devonshay Williams, Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of the rapper.

XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was shot and killed in Broward County, Florida, on June 18, 2018. He was 20 years old.

The rapper was leaving a Deerfield Beach motorsports dealership when two armed men approached him and opened fire in an apparent robbery attempt, police said.

PHOTO: Suspected shooting accomplice Trayvon Newsome, right, inhales deeply as he stands for the jury to enter the courtroom for closing arguments in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., March 7, 2023.
Suspected shooting accomplice Trayvon Newsome, right, inhales deeply as he stands for the jury to enter the courtroom for closing arguments in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., March 7, 2023. Newsome's attorney George Edward Reres, stands at left.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Pool via AP

A fourth person, Robert Allen, already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and testified for the prosecution in the case.

In June 2018, Williams was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder. Williams was also charged with one count of probation violation and one count of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license.

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, police said.

PHOTO: Shooting suspect Michael Boatwright, center, stands for the jury to enter the courtroom for closing arguments in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., March 7, 2023.
Shooting suspect Michael Boatwright, center, stands for the jury to enter the courtroom for closing arguments in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., March 7, 2023. Emerging rapper XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, 20, was killed during a robbery outside of Riva Motorsports in Pompano Beach in 2018, allegedly by defendants Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Pool via AP

When Onfroy put up a fight, he was shot and the robbers got away with a Louis Vuitton bag, according to police.

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.

A fan wears a cross around her neck over a t-shirt in remembrance before she enters a memorial for the rapper, XXXTentacion in Sunrise, Fla., June 27, 2018.
Brynn Anderson/AP, FILE

Prosecutors alleged that it was Boatwright who fired into the rapper's car and killed him.

Allen was allegedly in the black vehicle the whole time.

A Soundcloud rap star, XXXTentacion scored a No. 1 album, title "?" in 2018, as well as a top-10 song, "Sad!"

His previous album, "17," reached No. 2 in 2017. His songs have racked up nearly 4 billion combined on-demand streams.

But Onfroy was also facing more than a dozen felony charges and allegations of domestic violence. He was awaiting trial on those charges at the time he was killed.

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