XXXTentacion's convicted killers sentenced to life in prison
Three men were given life sentences on Thursday for the 2018 killing of star rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot outside a South Florida motorcycle shop while being robbed of $50,000.
Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were each convicted last month of first-degree murder and armed robbery by a jury following eight days of deliberations.
Prosecutors had not sought the death penalty, so life in prison was the only sentence that Broward County Circuit Judge Michael Usan could impose for the first-degree murder convictions.
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Dedrick Williams, left, Trayvon Newsome, center, and Michael Boatwright were found guilty of first-degree murder of XXXTentacion at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, March 20, 2023. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool) AP
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, plus cellphone videos the men took showing themselves flashing fistfuls of $100USD bills hours after the slaying.
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.
His sentence was delayed until the conclusion of the other three defendants' trial.
Allen's sentence could be as little as time served — meaning he could soon be released — or as long as life, depending partly on how much weight prosecutors give to his assistance.
Defense attorneys accused Allen of being a liar who was motivated by his desire to avoid a life sentence.
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Trayvon Newsome is handcuffed after he was found guilty of first-degree murder of emerging rapper XXXTentacion at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, March 20, 2023. XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, 20, was killed during a robbery outside of Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach in 2018. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool) AP
Attorney Mauricio Padilla talks to his client Dedrick Williams during the fifth day of jury deliberation in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Emerging rapper XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, 20, was killed during a robbery outside of Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach in 2018 allegedly by defendants Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome and Williams. (Car AP
They also said prosecutors and detectives did a poor job on the investigation and didn't look at other possible suspects, including the Canadian rap star Drake, who had feuded with XXXTentacion online.
XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports with a friend when an SUV swerved in front of him and blocked his BMW.
Surveillance video showed two masked gunmen emerging and confronting the 20-year-old singer at 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, got back into the SUV and sped away.
The rapper's friend was not harmed.
Boatwright was identified as the primary shooter and Newsome was accused of being the other gunman.
Williams was accused of driving the SUV and Allen of being inside the vehicle.
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