As previously reported by REVOLT, on March 20, Michael Boatwright, 28, Trayvon Newsome, 24, and Dedrick Williams, 26, were convicted for killing XXXTentacion. The 20-year-old Florida rapper was gunned down during a robbery in his home state on June 18, 2018.
Today (April 6), TMZ revealed that the three individuals responsible for his death will now spend the rest of their lives in prison. A fourth accomplice, Robert Allen, was also arrested and charged last year. He pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of XXXTentacion, but has yet to be sentenced. Allen recently testified against his co-conspirators in the trial.
Allen was allegedly the getaway driver after the group spotted the “Moonlight” artist at a South Florida motorcycle dealership. The robbery was said to be a crime of opportunity after they stumbled across XXXTentacion and observed him carrying a large amount of cash and a Louis Vuitton bag. After demanding his belongings and fatally wounding the rising entertainer, the four fled the scene with approximately $50,000. Authorities were able to track the assailants, in part, thanks to them taking photos with the money and posting it on social media.
During the investigation, Allen claimed that he told his peers the crime was a bad idea and asked them to reconsider their actions. However, it was revealed that the four did plan to rob someone that day, just not XXXTentacion. Boatwright, Newsome and Williams received first-degree murder charges along with firearm and armed robbery charges. In videos from today’s hearing, a judge was heard telling the three men that they will spend “life in Florida State Prison” for the murder of Jahseh Onfroy. “Threw away their whole life for something they didn’t even enjoy,” one person tweeted with a GIF animation of DJ Khaled saying, “Congratulations, you played yourself.”