The trial for the three co-defendants accused of killing XXXTENTACION begins this week, five years after the rapper died.
Per AllHipHop, the jury selection process in the XXTENTACION murder trial began on Wednesday. Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24. Prosecutors claim Boatwright shot XXXTENTACION while Williams and Newsome served as accomplices. All three face a life sentence if convicted. Police arrested the three on murder and robbery charges, though they pleaded not guilty to all counts.
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL - JULY 10: (EDITORS NOTE: Best quality available) In this handout photo provided by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Michael Boatwright, 22, a suspect in the shooting of rapper XXXTentacion, is seen in a police booking photo after his arrest on charges of first-degree murder July 10, 2018 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Broward County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images)
The fourth suspect, Robert Allen, agreed to cooperate and testify against the other three as part of his plea deal.
In the pre-trial hearing, the attorneys for the murder suspects suggested that there could be other individuals with motives who could've killed XXXTENTACION. They previously shared a potential witness list that included names like Quavo and Offset, though one of the attorneys pressed the judge to order Drake to sit down for a deposition. They claimed that personal and financial motives could've led to X's death, such as X's feud with the Canadian artist. A judge told the attorneys that they needed substantial evidence beyond online feuds linking rap artists to XXXTENTACION's death.
Still, it appears that Williams' attorney is hopeful of the outcome of the trial.
"It’s been over four long years in the making. We are excited to take this first step to bringing Dedrick home,” Mauricio Padilla told the Associated Press.
POMPANO BEACH,FL - JUNE 20: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Best quality available) In this handout image provided by the Broward Sheriff's Office, Dedrick D. Williams poses for his mugshot after being arrested on suspicion of murdering rapper XXXTentacion on June 20, 2018 in Pompano Beach, Florida. (Photo by Broward Sheriff's Office via Getty Images)
The three suspects allegedly demanded money from X before shooting him and leaving with $50K in cash.
Following jury selection, the judge confirmed that opening statements in the trial will begin in Febuary. We'll keep you posted on further updates surrounding the trial.
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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years.
Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021.
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