The jury in the trial of three men accused of murdering rising rap star XXXTentacion during a 2018 robbery ended a sixth day of deliberations Wednesday without reaching a verdict, asking the judge questions indicating they are reviewing the tests methodically.
The seven women and five men asked Circuit Judge Michael Usan a technical question about viewing videos of the men displaying handfuls 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 for more than 20 hours since receiving the case on March 8. Deliberations will resume on Thursday.
Michael Boatwright, 28, the accused shooter; Dedrick Williams, 26, 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 month-long 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, as well as cellphone videos that They were caught showing $100 bills.
Prosecutors also had testimony from 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 go anywhere between time served, meaning he could soon be released, and life, depending in part on how prosecutors perceive his help.
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 around 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., about an hour before the shooting, he sent 17 messages to various people, including one about getting a car. Prosecutors say the van used in the shooting was rented to a woman through a phone app. She then she stopped texting for about two hours.
About an hour after the shooting, he sent a text message that read: “Tell my brother I have the money for the new phone.” Minutes after that, she 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 flawed investigation that failed to look at other possible suspects, including Canadian rap star Drake: he and XXXTentacion were having an online dispute.
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 in the driver’s window, and one shot him repeatedly. They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing cash that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, climbed back into the van, and sped away. The friend was not injured.
Allen testified that the men left that day to commit robberies and went to the motorcycle shop to buy Williams a mask. There they saw the rapper and decided to target him. Allen and Williams entered the store to confirm that it was him. They then returned to the van, waited for XXXTentacion to come out, 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 topics like prejudice and depression in his songs. He also received criticism for his misbehavior and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.