A jury has found the three people arrested and charged with the death of South Florida rapper XXXTentacion guilty nearly five years later.
On Monday, after a week of deliberations, the jury voted and found Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery for the killing of the “SAD!” artist.
In addition, Robert Allen, who was charged with and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his role last year, testified against the others during the trial, which started Feb. 7. All will remain behind bars until their sentencing trial on April 6.
In June 2018, XXXTentacion, a father of one, was robbed and shot multiple times soon after he got into his car following a visit to a Riva Motorsports dealership in Deerfield, Florida, according to Complex.
Allen testified that after he and his friends learned the rapper was inside the store, they planned to rob him for whatever he had on him that day. They blocked the parking lot’s exit so the rapper couldn’t leave. He told the court that he stayed in the truck used to carry out the crime with Williams, the alleged getaway driver, while Boatright and Newsome carried out the plan.
He also claimed Boatwright was the one who opened fire at the music artist, who died on the scene moments after being attacked. The four men immediately drove off with his jewelry and a Louis Vuitton bag that contained $50,000.
The prosecution team asked jurors not to look past the video evidence of the robbery, along with text message threads and social media posts shared during the trial, as they proved the four men were responsible for the death of XXXTentacion.
“This is who they are. This is their real character. Killers that within 24 hours after shooting the victim dead and stealing $50,000 from him, this is what they do. Look at how happy they look. Look at how excited they look,” lead prosecutor Pascale Achille said, Complex reported.