Jury convicts 3 of murder in death of rapper XXXTentacion

Three men found guilty of murdering rapper XXXTentacion after shooting him in $50,000 robbery outside Florida motorcycle shop

• XXXTentacion, real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was ambushed by Michael Boatwright,  Dedrick Williams,  and Trayvon Newsome in June 2018
• The three men were seen flashing fistfuls of cash just hours after shooting the rapper 
• Each of the defendants is facing a mandatory life sentence, and showed no emotion as they were taken into custody 

A jury has found three men guilty of shooting dead rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot outside a South Florida motorcycle shop while being robbed of $50,000. 

The rapper, real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was ambushed by Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, during the incident in June 2018. 

All three were today found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery after a week of deliberations by the jury. 

They showed little emotion as each stood and was handcuffed by a bailiff, and will each receive mandatory life sentences at a later date. 

Prosecutors linked the three men to the killing through extensive surveillance video taken inside and outside the store, plus  videos which showed them flashing fistfuls of $100 bills hours after the slaying.

XXXTentacion was shot outside a South Florida motorcycle shop while being robbed of $50,000 in 2018

Michael Boatwright, 28, (left)  Dedrick Williams, 26, ( centre) and Trayvon Newsome, 24,  (right) were all found guilty of first-degree murder

Cleopatra Bernard, mother of slain rapper XXXTentacion thanked his fans for following the case and said, ‘justice is done’ as she left the courtroom. 

A fourth defendant, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder, and admitted participating in the robbery with the other three men.

Defense attorneys accused Allen of being a liar motivated by avoiding a life sentence, and claimed that prosecutors failed to look at other possible suspects – including rapper Drake.

He was ordered to appear on Zoom on February 24 to answer questions, after allegedly missing his first date on January 27.

Canadian rapper Drake reportedly had an online feud, but authorities confirmed that he was not a suspect in the incident.

The jury was told that Boatwright, who was the shooter, sent messages to 17 people before renting the SUV used in the shooting through a phone app.

He then stopped texting for about two hours, before sending a message saying: ‘Tell my brother I got the money for the new phone.’

Minutes after that, he sent someone a screenshot of a news story saying XXXTentacion had been shot.

Cleopatra Bernard, mother of slain rapper XXXTentacion thanked his fans for following the case and said ‘Justice is done’ as she left the courtroom

Newsome (pictured) was accused of being the other gunman. Williams was accused of being the driver of the SUV, with Allen also inside 

Final image: XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was shot and killed on June 18 , 2018 aged 20, after he was ambushed during an apparent robbery as he was leaving a motor sports store in Deerfield 

XXXTentacion had just left Riva Motorsports with a friend when his BMW was blocked by an SUV that swerved in front.

Surveillance video showed two masked gunmen emerging and confronting the 20-year-old singer at the driver´s window, and one shot him repeatedly.

They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing cash XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, got back into the SUV and sped away. The friend was not harmed.

Newsome was accused of being the other gunman. Williams was accused of being the driver of the SUV, with Allen also inside.

Allen testified that the men set out that day to commit robberies and went to the motorcycle shop to buy Williams a mask.

There they spotted the rapper and decided to make him their target. Allen and Williams went inside the shop to confirm it was him.

They then went back to the SUV they had rented, waited for XXXTentacion to emerge and ambushed him, according to testimony.

The rapper, who pronounced his name “Ex ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN,” was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs.

He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.

The jury was told that Boatwright (pictured), who was the shooter, sent messages to 17 people before renting the SUV used in the shooting through a phone app. 

They spotted the rapper and decided to make him their target. Allen and Williams (pictured) went inside the shop to confirm it was him

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