XXXTentacion Murder Trial Enters Deliberation, Rests In Jury’s Hands

Marc Griffin
·2 min read
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XXXTentacion’s murder trial has entered deliberations. According to the Associated Press, the trial’s deliberations began on Wednesday (March 8) following Tuesday’s closing arguments.

Attorney Joseph Kimokk issued his final defense during this time, pleading with the jurors that his client, Michael Boatwright, had nothing to do with murdering the artist, née Jahseh Onfroy, due to lack of DNA evidence.

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“Whoever (XXXTentacion) struggled with is not in this courtroom,” Kimok expressed to the jurors. “The DNA proves that someone not named Michael Boatwright or Trayvon Newsome participated in this murder.” He also added that Dedrick Williams, 26, was not found to be included in the murder due to a lack of DNA evidence.

Lead prosecutor Pascale Achille showed the juror’s surveillance footage from the day of the crime and repeated Robert Allen’s testimony. Allen previously pleaded guilty in 2022 to second-degree murder and then testified against his ex-associates.

XXXtentacion withdrawing money.

She then showed the jury a clip recorded by the men shortly after the murder took place, calling the men out for their alleged savage nature.

“This is who they are,” Achille expressed. “This is their real character. Killers that within 24 hours after shooting the victim dead and stealing $50,000 from him, this is what they do. Look at how happy they look. Look at how excited they look to have this money.”

Newsome, Boatwright, and Williams all face mandatory life sentences if they’re convicted. However, the prosecutors did not choose to seek the death penalty in the case. Furthermore, the jury will have to decide on the three men’s fates separately, which could result in only one or two, if not all three, of the suspected killers being convicted.

On June 18, 2018, Onfroy and an unnamed friend were exiting Riva Motorsports in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. As they attempted to depart the suburban locale, their vehicle was blocked by an SUV, and two masked gunmen ambushed them. One of the men shot the rapper repeatedly, with another grabbing a Louis Vuitton bag holding $50,000. XXX’s friend was reportedly unharmed.

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