No verdict yet in trial of XXXTentacion's accused killers
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP) – Jurors in the trial of three men accused of killing rising rap star XXXTentacion outside a motorcycle dealership nearly five years ago failed to reach a verdict Thursday, meaning deliberations will enter a third day. .
The jury deliberated for nearly five hours on Thursday after deliberating for nearly an hour late on Wednesday. The panel of 12 will return to the court on Friday.
He did not ask Circuit Judge Michael Usan any questions about the case.
Accused shooter Michael Boatwright, 28, alleged ringleader and getaway driver Dedrick Williams, 26, and accused second gunman Trayvon Newsom, 24, have all been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery. All face a mandatory life sentence if convicted. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.
A fourth man, 26-year-old Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder and testified against his former friends.
XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, left Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale with a friend on June 18, 2018, when his BMW was blocked by an SUV that swerved in front.
Surveillance video showed two masked gunmen appeared and confronted the 20-year-old singer at the driver’s window, and one shot him repeatedly. He then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing the $50,000 that XXXTentacion had just taken out of the bank, got back into the SUV and fled. The friend was not harmed.
Allen testified that the men had gone out to commit a robbery that day and had gone to a motorcycle shop to buy Williams’ mask. There he saw the rapper and decided to make him his target. Allen and Williams go inside the shop to confirm that it is him.
They then went back to the SUV they had rented, waited for XXXTentacion to emerge and ambushed him, according to testimony. Prosecutors say surveillance video and cellphone data from the dealership link the men to the scene. They also showed gamblers videos that the men had allegedly posted on social media that night, showing handfuls of $100 bills.
The men’s lawyers said Allen was lying and that their DNA was not found on the artist. Lawyers for some of the men said that while the videos showing the money were “silly”, they do not prove that their clients were actually involved in the shooting and robbery.
The rapper, who pronounced his name “x x x ten-ta-si-yawn”, was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his lyrics. He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including allegations that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.
