XXXTentacion, the Florida rapper who made a name for himself this year with the breakout single “Look At Me” and the release of his debut album 17, which recently entered at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, is facing serious allegations that can potentially land him substantial prison time.
Despite his breakthrough year, the rapper is facing allegations of domestic abuse by strangulation, false imprisonment, aggravated battery of a pregnant woman and witness-tampering. If convicted on all counts, the 19-year-old, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, could face 30 years in total. He has pleaded not guilty. Details on the criminal case have long been complicated, but a 142-page transcript obtained by Pitchfork now offers some color as the testimony by the reported victim reveals grim details of repeated domestic abuse.
The article includes excerpts that detail the alleged violence that started after the reported victim made the decision to move in with the rapper in May 2016. About two weeks after the move, the woman alleges that the rapper slapped her and broke her iPhone 6S because she complimented a male friend on his new jewelry. The alleged abuse continued, according to the deposition, as follows:
Later that day, XXXTentacion left the room and returned with two grilling implements—a “barbecue pitchfork” and a “barbecue cleaner,” she said—and told her to pick between them, because he was going to put one of them in her vagina. She chose the fork. He told her to undress. He was lightly dragging the tool against her inner thigh when she passed out. He did not penetrate her with it.
The woman also claims that XXXTentacion repeatedly threatened to kill her. “It was literally like every day,” the victim described, all while they lived together in Orlando. During one particular moment in the testimony, the rapper reportedly assaulted her after she hummed along to a verse from a featured artist on one of his tracks. “He was asking me why I was singing his friend’s part of the song, if I like him, why do I like him, like do I ever look at his Twitter,” she said. The victim suffered “black eyes, a lump on the back of her head, scratch marks, and bruises, including a large bruise on her ankle where he stomped her” following the exchange. “He also wanted to cut out my tongue because I was singing the song,” she said.
In early October 2016, after the reported victim found out she was pregnant, it is said the rapper grew violent. The root of the issue was reportedly because he found out she had sex with another man while he was in jail (on unrelated charges). Demanding answers, he allegedly called the person she had sex with and then told her, “You need to tell me the truth right now or I’ll kill you and this jit.” By “jit,” he was referring to the child. As per the testimony:
He then started elbowing, head-butting, and punching her. He strangled her until she almost passed out. He took her to the bathroom and demanded one last time that she tell him everything or he would kill her in the bathtub. She couldn’t even recognize her face in the mirror—it looked “distorted”—and her left eye was completely shut and “leaking blood.” She was losing vision. She vomited.
XXXTentacion has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial is set to begin on October 5.
For Pitchfork’s full report on the testimony, head here.