愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Jury for men accused in XXXTentacion killing moving slowly

Suspected shooting accomplice Dedrick Williams, left, and Trayvon Newsome are shown seated at the defense table with shooting suspect Michael Boatwright, right, during the fourth day of jury deliberations in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Monday, March 13, 2023. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool) Suspected shooting accomplice Dedrick Williams, left, and Trayvon Newsome are shown seated at the defense table with shooting suspect Michael Boatwright, right, during the fourth day of jury deliberations in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Monday, March 13, 2023. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
Share

The jury in the trial of three men accused of murdering rising rap start XXXTentacion during a 2018 robbery finished a sixth day of deliberations Wednesday without reaching a verdict, asking the judge questions that indicate they are methodically going through the evidence.

The seven women and five men asked Circuit Judge Michael Usan a technical question about viewing videos of the men flashing fistfuls of $100 bills hours after the June 18, 2018, shooting and robbery that netted $50,000 and whether they could open an envelope and look at a collection of fingerprints. They could. They have deliberated more than 20 hours since getting the case March 8. Deliberations will resume Thursday.

Michael Boatwright, 28 and the accused shooter; Dedrick Williams, 26 and the accused ringleader and getaway driver; and Trayvon Newsome, 24 and the alleged second gunman, are charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery. They face mandatory life sentences if convicted. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.

During the monthlong trial, prosecutors tried to link the men to the shooting outside Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale through extensive surveillance video taken inside and outside the store, plus the cellphone videos they took of them flashing $100 bills.

Prosecutors also had the testimony of a fourth man, Robert Allen, a former friend of the defendants who said he participated in the robbery. He pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder. He has not been sentenced pending the conclusion of this trial. He could get anywhere between time served, meaning he could soon be released, and life, depending partly on how prosecutors perceive his assistance.

Twice this week, the jury asked to review text messages from Boatwright, the accused shooter, from the day of the shooting. A printout from prosecutors shows that from the time he woke up about 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., about an hour before the shooting, he sent 17 to various people, including one about getting a car. Prosecutors say the SUV used in the shooting was rented from a woman through a phone app. He then stopped texting for about two hours.

About an hour after the shooting, he sent a text 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.

Defense attorneys accused Allen of being a liar trying to avoid a life sentence. They also said prosecutors and detectives did a poor investigation that didn't look at other possible suspects, including the Canadian rap star Drake -- he and XXXTentacion had an online feud.

XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, 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 emerged and confronted the 20-year-old artist 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.

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, 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.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.

Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.

The Ottawa Police Service has identified the woman who was stabbed to death at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive Thursday morning.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.