Verdict reached: 3 found guilty in murder of US rapper
Suspects in the XXXTentacion murder trial with their attorneys during day six of jury deliberation at the Broward County Courthouse in Florida, U.S., March 15, 2023. (AP Photo)


A Florida jury rendered a guilty verdict for three young men in the shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion. The incident occurred on June 18, 2018, when the rapper was fatally shot outside a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

The artist, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was 20 when he was shot to death in broad daylight in Deerfield Beach, near Miami.

XXXTentacion hit No. 1 on the album chart in 2018 with "?" but his success proved controversial due to his history of violence. He had been awaiting trial for beating his former girlfriend while pregnant.

After a week of deliberations, a jury in Fort Lauderdale found three defendants guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery. They are Dedrick Williams, 26; Trayvon Newsome, 24; and Michael Boatwright, 28.

Sentencing was set for April 6. A first-degree murder conviction could send them to prison for life.

On June 18, 2018, a four-wheel drive vehicle cut off XXXTentacion's car, and two people got out and shot him. Then, they stole a bag containing $50,000 in cash and fled.

Prosecutors said Boatwright and Newsome got out of the car, but Boatwright shot the rapper. Williams was accused of being the getaway driver and mastermind of the attack.

A fourth suspect, Robert Allen, 26, testified against the other three months after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and armed robbery.