In a Fort Lauderdale courtroom, a jury closed a chapter on a violent afternoon in June 2018, when a young rapper's life was taken for fifty thousand dollars. Three men — Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, and Trayvon Newsome — were found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the killing of XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, who was just twenty years old. The verdict, reached after a month-long trial built on surveillance footage, digital records, and the testimony of a co-conspirator, reminds us how thoroughly the modern world documents its own worst moments — and how little tha
Three men convicted of murdering rapper XXXTentacion in 2018 Florida robbery
XXXTentacion, a 20-year-old rapper, was shot and killed during an armed robbery outside a motorcycle shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
He went silent for two hours, then texted about the money.
Mark
So three men are going to prison for life. But what actually convinced the jury they were guilty? The surveillance video?
Mimi
It was the whole picture. Yes, surveillance from inside and outside the shop. But also the defendants' own phone videos—they filmed themselves with the money hours after the killing. And Boatwright's text messages showed him going silent right around the time of the shooting, then texting about getting money for a phone.
Luke
But the defense said Robert Allen was lying to save himself. How much weight did his testimony actually carry versus the physical evidence?
Mimi
That's fair. The prosecution had the surveillance and the phone records independent of Allen. He corroborated the plan, but he wasn't the only evidence.
Mark
And the defense tried to blame Drake?
Mimi
They suggested Drake should have been investigated because of the online feud. But the jury didn't buy it.
Luke
One thing I want to flag: Allen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, not first-degree. The three convicted got first-degree. Why the difference?
Mimi
Allen testified against the others. That likely factored into the plea deal. He hasn't been sentenced yet.
Mark
So he's still waiting to find out his sentence?
Mimi
Yes. That comes after all this is resolved.
Luke
And we don't know if he'll get life or something less?
Mimi
Not yet. The plea agreement probably gives him some leverage, but the judge hasn't ruled.
El Pulso
- A 20-year-old rapper was ambushed and shot at his car window outside a Florida motorcycle shop, killed for a bag of cash he had just withdrawn from a bank.
- Prosecutors assembled a damning mosaic of evidence — surveillance video, incriminating text messages, and footage of the defendants flaunting stacks of hundred-dollar bills hours after the killing.
- A fourth conspirator, Robert Allen, turned on his co-defendants, pleading guilty to second-degree murder and testifying in detail about how the group selected XXXTentacion as their target that day.
- The defense attacked Allen's credibility and even pointed to rapper Drake's online feud with the victim as a deflection — but the jury deliberated and returned guilty verdicts on all counts.
- All three convicted men now face mandatory life sentences, with formal sentencing still pending alongside that of the cooperating witness whose testimony helped seal their fate.
In a Fort Lauderdale courtroom, a jury closed a chapter on a violent afternoon in June 2018, when a young rapper's life was taken for fifty thousand dollars. Three men — Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, and Trayvon Newsome — were found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the killing of XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, who was just twenty years old. The verdict, reached after a month-long trial built on surveillance footage, digital records, and the testimony of a co-conspirator, reminds us how thoroughly the modern world documents its own worst moments — and how little that documentation can restore what is lost.
Three men left a Florida courtroom this week facing the rest of their lives in prison. Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, and Trayvon Newsome were convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery for the June 2018 killing of rapper XXXTentacion — born Jahseh Onfroy — who was shot repeatedly at his car window outside a Fort Lauderdale motorcycle shop while being robbed of $50,000 he had just withdrawn from a bank. The three defendants showed little reaction as the verdicts were read and they were handcuffed one by one.
The prosecution built its case on surveillance footage from the motorcycle shop, video the defendants themselves recorded hours after the killing — showing them with stacks of cash — and the testimony of Robert Allen, a fourth man involved who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and agreed to cooperate. Allen described how the group set out that day to commit robberies, stopped at the shop, recognized XXXTentacion inside, and chose him as their target. Two masked men blocked his BMW as he left, pulled him from the driver's window, shot him, and fled with a Louis Vuitton bag containing the money.
Phone records added another layer. Boatwright sent 17 messages in the hours before the shooting, then went silent for two hours. An hour after the killing, he texted someone about having money for a new phone — and minutes later forwarded a news alert reporting that XXXTentacion had been shot. Jurors asked to review those messages twice during deliberations.
The defense argued Allen was an unreliable witness saving himself from a life sentence, and suggested investigators had failed to pursue other leads — including a public feud between the victim and rapper Drake. The jury was not persuaded. XXXTentacion, a platinum-selling artist whose music touched on prejudice and depression, was a complicated public figure whose career was still forming when it was cut short. The legal reckoning for his death now rests in mandatory life sentences for the three men convicted of taking it.
Three men walked out of a Florida courtroom this week with mandatory life sentences ahead of them. Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the June 2018 shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion outside Riva Motorsports, a motorcycle shop in suburban Fort Lauderdale. The 20-year-old artist, born Jahseh Onfroy, was shot repeatedly at his car window while being robbed of $50,000 he had just withdrawn from a bank. As the verdicts were read, the three men showed little reaction, standing in turn to be handcuffed by court officers.
The prosecution's case rested on a dense web of evidence: surveillance footage from inside and outside the motorcycle shop, video recordings the defendants themselves made hours after the killing showing them displaying stacks of hundred-dollar bills, and testimony from a fourth man involved in the robbery. Robert Allen, a former friend of the defendants, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year and agreed to testify against them. He described how the group set out that day specifically to commit robberies, stopped at the motorcycle shop to buy Williams a mask, spotted XXXTentacion inside, and decided he would be their target.
The sequence of events unfolded quickly. Allen and Williams entered the shop to confirm the rapper's identity. They returned to their rented vehicle, waited for XXXTentacion to emerge, and ambushed him as he left with a friend. Surveillance video captured two masked gunmen blocking his BMW, pulling him from the driver's window, and shooting him multiple times. One of them grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing the cash and fled. The friend was not injured. Boatwright was identified by prosecutors as the gunman; Newsome was accused of being the second masked shooter; Williams was the driver, with Allen also in the vehicle.
The prosecution's timeline proved crucial. Text messages from Boatwright's phone showed he sent 17 messages between waking at around 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.—roughly an hour before the shooting. Then he went silent for about two hours. An hour after the killing, he texted someone: "Tell my brother I got the money for the new phone." Minutes later, he sent a screenshot of a news story reporting that XXXTentacion had been shot. The jury asked to review these messages twice during the trial, suggesting they found them significant to their deliberations.
The defense mounted a challenge on multiple fronts. They argued that Robert Allen was a liar motivated by self-preservation, willing to implicate the defendants to avoid a life sentence himself. They also criticized the police investigation, claiming detectives failed to pursue other suspects—notably pointing to Canadian rapper Drake, with whom XXXTentacion had engaged in an online feud. None of these arguments persuaded the jury during the month-long trial.
XXXTentacion had emerged as a platinum-selling rising star, known for songs addressing prejudice and depression. His death at 20 cut short a career that was still taking shape. Yet his public image was complicated. He faced multiple arrests and drew criticism for his behavior, including charges that he had severely beaten and abused a girlfriend. The legal system's reckoning with his death, however, has focused narrowly on the three men convicted of taking his life.
All three will receive mandatory life sentences at a later date. Robert Allen, the fourth conspirator, has not yet been sentenced; that will come after the conclusion of this trial. The case represents one of the more high-profile murder convictions in recent Florida criminal history, resolved through the kind of forensic and digital evidence that has become standard in modern prosecutions—surveillance footage, phone records, and the defendants' own documentation of their actions.
Citas Notables
Tell my brother I got the money for the new phone.— Text message from Michael Boatwright approximately one hour after the shooting
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en TheJournal.ie ↗
Crime & Justice