Crime
Alleged Killers Of XXXTentacion Found Guilty Of First Degree Murder And To Get A Life Sentence
The three guys who were suspected of shooting XXXTentacion to death in 2018 have been convicted of murder.
On June 18, 2018, 20-year-old Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, also known as XXXTentacion, was allegedly robbed as he was at a South Florida motorcycle store. He was shot while driving, and the robbers fled with a Louis Vuitton bag and $50,000 in cash.
Each of the defendants—Michael Boatwright, 27, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24—was found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
Jurors deliberated for slightly more than seven days before delivering the verdicts on Monday, March 20, marking the end of a trial that lasted about one month. Each convicted perpetrator is expected to receive a mandatory life sentence.
A 4th man named Robert Allen was also arrested in connection to the killing but he pled guilty last year to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against the other 3 suspects, adding he was hesitant about the robbery and even asked the others to ditch the idea in the moment.
He could still face a lifetime prison sentence for his alleged role in the killing.
The deadly armed robbery was captured by a surveillance camera. Jurors in the criminal trial for Boatwright, Williams and Newsome saw the graphic footage in court this past February. It showed an SUV drive up to Onfroy’s car in the motorbike shop’s parking lot before stopping perpendicular to the BMW, preventing it from exiting onto the street.
Two masked individuals can be seen leaving the SUV and approaching the driver’s side window of Onfroy’s car. A confrontation ensues that ends with one assailant firing a gun through the window. Both suspects then proceed to escape with $50,000 in cash, which Onfroy was carrying inside a Louis Vuitton satchel when the shooting happened, according to testimony heard during the trial. He had planned to use the money to purchase a motorbike from the shop, prosecutors said.
Boatwright and Newsome were the assailants seen in that surveillance footage, according to the prosecution, and the deadly gunshot followed what was a visible brawl allegedly over the money. Prosecutors say Boatwright was the gunman and Newsome was accused of pointing a loaded gun at people inside the BMW. Williams was driving the getaway vehicle and remained inside the SUV as the shooting took place, according to testimony heard in court.
The prosecution built its argument around the accusation that the violent robbery that preceded Onfroy’s death was carefully planned. Prosecutors told the jury in Broward County that the three suspects standing trial had devised a scheme one day before the Deerfield Beach shooting, on June 17, that involved renting a vehicle and traveling around the area to commit various robberies. They allegedly spotted Onfroy leaving the parking lot of the motorbike shop, where they had intended to purchase a face mask, and decided to target him, prosecutors said.
