Three men accused of killing 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion during a 2018 ambush robbery have been found guilty after a week of deliberations.
A Florida jury convicted Michael Boatwright, 27, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24 on Monday (March 20). All three were charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of the controversial rapper. The three face a possible sentence of life behind bars.
The popular rapper, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was shot and killed in June 2018 outside of a motorcycle shop in Broward County, South Florida, while being robbed of $50,000 USD. XXXTentacion was twenty years old.
Boatwright and Newsome were said to have stolen the cash from XXXTentacion, while Williams served as the getaway driver. A man named Robert Allen was also among the group, though Allen took a plea deal last year for second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against his fellow group members.
During the trial, the lawyer for Boatwright argued that his client’s DNA was not found on XXXTentacion’s body. He said the DNA of the two other men did not match either.
Sentencing has been set for all three defendants on April 6. According to Florida law, all first-degree murder charges automatically carry a life sentence.
