According to reports, the murder trial of rapper XXXTentacion is scheduled to take place this week.
XXXTentacion, real name Jasey Dwayne Onfroy, was killed in a shootout at the age of 20 as he was leaving a car dealership in Miami, Florida, in June 2018.
Although jury selection for the trail has not yet been completed (it began today, January 31), the NBC6 news portal reports that the trial will begin this week.
The co-defendants in the case, Michael Boatwright, Dedric Devonshay Williams and Trayvon Newsom, will appear in court; they have all pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
A fourth defendant, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder in August 2022, and there are reports that Allen entered into a plea deal in hopes of commuting his sentence through cooperation with law enforcement.
His lawyer Jim Lewis said in an interview with NBC Miami last year: This morning Allen pleaded guilty to the murder of XXXTentacion. He pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of second-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. He still faces life in prison.
“Of course, we hope for the best. But his sentence has been postponed and he will probably be called as a witness in the case against the other three co-accused.”
Lewis added: “Mr. Allen’s role was much smaller than that of the other three participants. It was always assumed that the state wanted to use him as a witness in the case. And finally, we have come to an agreement and we are begging for an agreement today.
“Again, his participation was much less than that of others. More of an indictment after the fact than part of the planning. Of course, he never got out of the car, he never had a gun, he never shot anyone. And hopefully the judge and the state will take that into account.”
If convicted, all three co-accused face life imprisonment.
After XXXTentacion’s death, several posthumous releases were released, including the album Bad Vibes Forever, released in late 2019.
A feature-length documentary titled Look At Me: XXXTentacion was also released earlier this year on Hulu in the US, with a UK release yet to be announced.
The documentary chronicles the late rapper’s ascent to SoundCloud, his struggles with mental health, and his history of domestic violence allegations. In 2018, he confessed to a series of violent crimes on a secret recording.
