Who Killed Rapper XXXTentacion?
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
In 2018, XXXTentacion, 20, was leaving a motorsports dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida, when two men fatally shot him. The incident occurred on the afternoon of June 18 when the armed men approached the rapper and opened fire at him while trying to rob $50,000 in cash, reported ABC News and BBC. The shooting victim was later pronounced dead in a hospital.
Police stated that surveillance captured XXXTentacion’s killers, namely Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, and Trayvon Newsome. They identified Boatwright as the shooter, Newsome as the second gunman, and Williams as the driver of their SUV. All three suspects faced first-degree murder charges. A fourth individual and former friend of the rapper, Robert Allen, was also present in the vehicle’s backseat. Allen pleaded guilty and testified at the trial.
Hulu’s documentary Look At Me: XXXTENTACION chronicles the late rapper’s rise to fame shortly before his tragic demise. The documentary, which premiered in 2022, is named after his sensational track and all-time hit Look At Me!
What happened to XXXTentacion’s killers & where are they now?
According to The New York Times, prosecutors alleged that all four suspects involved in XXXTentacion’s killing had been planning to commit robberies on June 18, 2018. They then spotted the rapper at Riva Motorsports, and after confirming his identity, the men waited for him in the parking lot. Surveillance footage captured all four suspects: Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, Trayvon Newsome, and Robert Allen.
The footage showed an SUV swerving in front of XXXTentacion as he left the motorcycle shop and blocked his BMW. He was sitting inside his BMW when two men, Boatwright and Newsome, jumped out of the SUV. They approached the rapper and demanded his chain. When the 20-year-old put up a fight, the robbers shot him, stole a Louis Vuitton bag from his car, and drove away, per ABC News.
Nearly five years later, in March 2023, a Florida jury convicted the killers—Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, and Trayvon Newsome—of first-degree murder. The fourth individual involved, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder the year before. Allen also testified at the trial, per The New York Times report.
Prosecutors used surveillance footage and cellphone and Bluetooth data to link the men to the location and the SUV. Other evidence included videos showing the defendants dancing and posing with cash hours after XXXTentacion’s killing. The men were flashing handfuls of $100 notes, stated BBC.
NBC News further reported that prosecutors and authorities identified Boatwright as the main shooter and Newsome as the second gunman. They identified Williams as the SUV’s driver. In April 2023, Judge Michael Usan sentenced all three convicts to mandatory life sentences, reported Variety.
Meanwhile, Allen, who testified against the former three, received a reduced sentence of seven years, per AP News. The judge gave him credit for five years already served, with only two years in prison. Allen will then serve 20 years on probation.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Michael Boatwright is serving time in the Northwest Florida Reception Center Main Unit. Dedrick Williams is in the Wakulla Correctional Institution, and Trayvon Newsome is in the Suwannee Correctional Institution.
Other documentaries that have previously chronicled the life and death of XXXTentacion include In His Own Words, Long Live X: The Life and Death of XXXTentacion, and more.
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