Three men found guilty of 2018 murder of rapper XXXTentacion

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By James Kay

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Three men who were accused of murdering rapper XXXTentacion have been found guilty in a Florida court.

The 20-year-old rapper - real name Jahseh Onfroy - was shot and killed in June 2018 when visiting a motorcycle shop in Florida.

Two masked men approached him and demanded that he handed over his property before allegedly shooting the star during a 45-second struggle, as per BBC News.

The suspects grabbed a bag full of $50,000 in cash that Onfroy had just withdrawn from a bank and fled the scene, leaving the rapper fighting for his life. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries.

Michael Boatwright, 27, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24 were arrested and charged with the murder of the 20-year-old and have today (March 20) been found guilty by a Florida jury.

A fourth man, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year. The men face the possibility of life behind bars.

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XXXTentacion was shot and killed in June 2018. Credit: MediaPunch Inc / Alamy

The verdict comes despite Boatwright's lawyer arguing throughout the trial that his client's DNA - or the DNA of two of the other men - was not found on Onfroy during the investigation.

This was undone when Allen testified against the three men, though their lawyers claim that the man who had already pleaded guilty was lying to the court.

As per Sky News, Allen claimed that the men had set out that day with the purpose of committing robberies, and were attending the motorcycle store to buy a mask.

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Credit: McClatchy-Tribune / Alamy

Despite the lawyers claiming that the investigators botched the investigation, lead prosecutor Pascale Achille determined that the lack of DNA evidence was irrelevant as cell phone data shows that the three accused were together near the motorcycle shop at the time of the rapper's death.

The jury deliberated for more than a week before coming to their verdict, and the men will now be sentenced at a later date.

The rapper's music often featured themes of depression, loneliness, abandonment, and suicide. His tracks shot up the charts in both the UK and the US following his death.

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The three men now face life behind bars. Credit: Archive PL / Alamy

But the rapper's life was not without controversy.

Onfroy was accused of domestic abuse on multiple occasions during his life. At the time of his death, he was facing 15 felony charges which included an aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, and witness tampering.

Featured image credit: MediaPunch Inc / Alamy

Three men found guilty of 2018 murder of rapper XXXTentacion

vt-author-image

By James Kay

Article saved!Article saved!

Three men who were accused of murdering rapper XXXTentacion have been found guilty in a Florida court.

The 20-year-old rapper - real name Jahseh Onfroy - was shot and killed in June 2018 when visiting a motorcycle shop in Florida.

Two masked men approached him and demanded that he handed over his property before allegedly shooting the star during a 45-second struggle, as per BBC News.

The suspects grabbed a bag full of $50,000 in cash that Onfroy had just withdrawn from a bank and fled the scene, leaving the rapper fighting for his life. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries.

Michael Boatwright, 27, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24 were arrested and charged with the murder of the 20-year-old and have today (March 20) been found guilty by a Florida jury.

A fourth man, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year. The men face the possibility of life behind bars.

size-full wp-image-1263201634
XXXTentacion was shot and killed in June 2018. Credit: MediaPunch Inc / Alamy

The verdict comes despite Boatwright's lawyer arguing throughout the trial that his client's DNA - or the DNA of two of the other men - was not found on Onfroy during the investigation.

This was undone when Allen testified against the three men, though their lawyers claim that the man who had already pleaded guilty was lying to the court.

As per Sky News, Allen claimed that the men had set out that day with the purpose of committing robberies, and were attending the motorcycle store to buy a mask.

size-full wp-image-1263201635
Credit: McClatchy-Tribune / Alamy

Despite the lawyers claiming that the investigators botched the investigation, lead prosecutor Pascale Achille determined that the lack of DNA evidence was irrelevant as cell phone data shows that the three accused were together near the motorcycle shop at the time of the rapper's death.

The jury deliberated for more than a week before coming to their verdict, and the men will now be sentenced at a later date.

The rapper's music often featured themes of depression, loneliness, abandonment, and suicide. His tracks shot up the charts in both the UK and the US following his death.

size-full wp-image-1263201636
The three men now face life behind bars. Credit: Archive PL / Alamy

But the rapper's life was not without controversy.

Onfroy was accused of domestic abuse on multiple occasions during his life. At the time of his death, he was facing 15 felony charges which included an aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, and witness tampering.

Featured image credit: MediaPunch Inc / Alamy