XXXTentacion Verdict: 3 Suspects Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder

Concerning the shooting death and robbery of rapper XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, in South Florida in 2018, three individuals were found guilty on Monday. On Monday morning, the judgments were delivered by a jury in Broward County.

For the ambush that resulted in the death of XXXTentacion, Michael Boatwright, 27, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were all found guilty of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. After more than seven days of deliberation and a trial of around one month, the jury announced its conclusions on Monday. Every convicted offender is anticipated to be sentenced to life in prison.

At the time of his passing, Onfroy was 20 years old and had double- and quadruple-platinum records, in addition to a devoted cult following inside and outside his South Florida community. He was a rising star whose career was about to take off, even as he was being investigated for allegedly assaulting a past girlfriend.

Onfroy was shot numerous times by the convicted killers as he was behind the wheel of his BMW, which was parked outside of a RIVA Motorsports establishment in Deerfield Beach, according to the authorities. A family member was seated on the car’s passenger side, and they could escape unscathed. The fatal armed robbery was caught on camera. According to CBS Miami, the violent video was shown to the jury in February during the criminal trial for Boatwright, Williams, and Newsome. Footage displayed an SUV pulling up next to Onfroy’s BMW in the motorcycle shop parking lot and stopping perpendicular to the BMW, blocking its access to the roadway.

Onfroy’s car’s driver-side window is approached by two masked people who have just emerged from the SUV. One attacker shoots a gun through the window to stop the altercation. Onfroy was carrying $50,000 in cash inside a Louis Vuitton suitcase when the shooting occurred, according to trial testimony, and both suspects made off with it. According to the prosecution, he intended to use the cash to purchase a motorcycle from the store.

The prosecution claims that the assailants seen in that surveillance tape were Boatwright and Newsome, and the fatal gunfire came after a visual altercation purportedly for money. Authorities claim that Boatwright was the shooter, and Newsome was charged with pointing a loaded firearm at passengers inside the BMW. According to testimony in court, Williams operated the getaway car and remained inside the SUV while the shooting occurred.
Onfroy’s murder was previously linked to a fourth guy, 26-year-old Robert Allen. In August last year, Allen pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder charge. He then testified in court as the first witness in the trial on behalf of the prosecution. He might still receive a life sentence for his alleged involvement in the murder, though.

The prosecution’s case was based on the charge that the violent robbery that occurred before Onfroy’s death was meticulously planned. The three defendants on trial in Broward County, Florida, devised a plan one day before the shooting in Deerfield Beach on June 17 that involved hiring a car and driving about the neighborhood committing numerous thefts, according to the prosecution’s testimony before the jury. According to the trial, they reportedly decided to target Onfroy after seeing him leave the motorcycle shop’s parking lot, where they intended to buy a face mask.

According to CBS Miami, during closing arguments earlier this month, prosecutor Pascale Achille depicted the accused murderers as “predators” and played cellphone camera evidence to the jury, showing the defendants grinning and laughing while holding stacks of $100 notes. According to the prosecution, the video was taken many hours after Onfroy was killed.