Three Men Found Guilty In The Murder Of XXXTentacion

Nearly five years on from his shock death, the three men accused of killing rapper XXXTentacion - real name Jahseh Onfroy - have been found guilty of murder.

Following jury deliberations that began on March 8 and ended on March 20, Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams were found guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery in the murder of the rapper on June 18, 2018.

According to witnesses, two armed men approached the rapper's car, outside a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and shot him multiple times before fleeing the scene. Onfroy was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. 

During the court case, it was revealed that robbery had been the motive behind the murder, with the men running off with $50K in cash and a Louis Vuitton bag after killing the music star. Boatwright and Newsome were reportedly responsible for stealing the cash while Williams was said to be the getaway driver.

The untimely death of XXXTentacion shocked the music industry and his fans worldwide, particularly as he had only just begun to make a mark his mark on the music scene.

Prior to his death, the hip hop star released his second studio album, ?, which peaked at #3 in Australia and #1 in the US.

Despite his popularity, X’s personal life was notably fraught with controversy, including accusations of aggravated battery of a pregnant victim, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering.

Geneva Ayala, XXXTentacion's former girlfriend and accuser, gave testimony alleging that she had been subject to multiple instances of physical abuse by the rapper over a period of several months in 2016.

Among the claims made by Ayala were accusations that XXXTentacion had stomped and strangled her, threatened to harm her with a pitchfork, and punched her in the eye upon learning of her pregnancy, leading to visible blood and bruises. 

In a February 2017 interview with XXL, XXXTentacion denied the allegations and accused Ayala of "lying and scamming." 

In October 2017, he was placed under house arrest after being hit with another 15 felony charges, to which he pled not guilty.

A judge later granted his request to continue touring the ? record, though at the time of his death, he was still on house arrest while awaiting trial on the charges.