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Murder of XXXTentacion

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Murder of XXXTentacion
Deerfield Beach is located in Florida
Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach (Florida)
[Interactive fullscreen map]
Location of Onfroy's murder in Deerfield Beach, Florida
LocationDeerfield Beach, Florida, U.S.
DateJune 18, 2018; 3 years ago (2018-06-18)
3:56 p.m. (EDT)
TargetJahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, a.k.a. XXXTentacion
Attack type
Murder, assassination, armed robbery
Weapon.22 LR semi-automatic pistol, short-barreled rifle
Deaths1 (Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, a.k.a. XXXTentacion)
MotiveUnknown; under investigation
AccusedShooters:
  • Michael Boatwright
  • Trayvon Demarcus Newsome

Accomplices:

  • Robert Allen
  • Dedrick Devonshay Williams
VerdictSuspects awaiting trial
ChargesBoatwright, Newsome, Allen
Premeditated first-degree murder[1]

Williams
Dangerous and depraved first-degree murder[2]

Boatwright, Newsome, Allen, Williams
Armed robbery

During the afternoon of June 18, 2018, American rapper and singer Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, known professionally as XXXTentacion, was murdered in an apparent robbery just outside RIVA Motorsports, an upscale seller of motorcycles and watercraft in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was shot multiple times in the neck[3] and was in critical condition before being pronounced dead at 5:30 p.m.

Events

XXXTentacion being stalked by suspects Robert Allen and Dedrick Williams in motorcycle dealership

On June 18, Onfroy went to Bank of America to withdraw money before heading to RIVA Motorsports, an upscale seller of motorcycles and boats in Deerfield Beach, Florida.[4] After withdrawing money from a bank, he was followed by a dark-colored Dodge Journey SUV allegedly containing Dedrick Williams, Robert Allen, Michael Boatwright, and Trayvon Newsome.[5][6]

At 3:30 p.m. EDT, Onfroy arrived at RIVA Motorsports and entered with his uncle.[7] Accused accomplices Robert Allen and Dedrick Williams followed Onfroy inside the store.[8][7]

The two (Williams and Allen) walked right past Onfroy as he was browsing motorcycles. They are recorded coming into RIVA and buying two black masks. A half an hour later, Onfroy left the dealership, entered his black BMW i8[9] and began to drive away from the dealership. The SUV drove in front of Onfroy's car, blocking him in while Newsome and Boatwright exited the vehicle and demanded property from Onfroy. A brief struggle ensued, which resulted in Onfroy being shot multiple times in the neck by Boatwright.[10][11] Witnesses told police Newsome and Boatwright took a Louis Vuitton bag from Onfroy's vehicle and then ran to the black Dodge.[3][12]

Suspects Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome confronting XXXTentacion in his vehicle

The shooting occurred in east of the city of Parkland where Onfroy was living at the time.[13][14] The Broward County Fire Department rushed him to the nearby Broward Health North.[15] Onfroy was initially reported to be in critical condition following the shooting,[16] but the Broward County Sheriff's Office later confirmed his death.[17]

Investigation

Mugshots of the suspects in the murder of XXXTentacion (clockwise from top) Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, Robert Allen, Dedrick Williams.

Shortly following the announcement of Onfroy's death, Broward County Sheriff's Office offered a $3,000 bounty for any information leading to the arrest of any suspects. Originally, many fans of Onfroy's, numerous internet users and local residents suspected local Florida rappers Soldier Kidd and Soldier Jojo to be the killers of Onfroy due to several suspicious Instagram posts made by the pair with specific details that corroborated with witness reports, but these accusations were later dropped when Dedrick Williams and Michael Boatwright (the alleged shooter) were arrested.[18]

On June 20, 2018, the Broward County Sheriff's Office arrested 22-year-old Dedrick Devonshay Williams in connection with Onfroy's murder.[19] Williams was driving in his silver 2004 Honda before a traffic stop occurred.[20] Williams was detained in the car chase that followed.[21] Williams was identified by clothing he wore on June 18, which included orange sandals and a white tank top. The police matched images from security footage to recent pictures from Williams' Instagram feed, which featured "the same or similar bright orange sandals". He was also identified by employees who saw him enter RIVA Motorsports to buy a neoprene mask.[22] After Williams' arrest, two more active warrants were issued.[20][23]

On June 27, 22-year-old Robert Allen was named as a person of interest in the case, and was later arrested on July 26.[24]

On July 5, 22-year-old Michael Boatwright was also arrested by the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Originally, he was arrested on drug-related charges, but on July 10, a warrant was put out for him related to the murder of Onfroy. Police believe that Boatwright was the one who fatally shot Onfroy.[25] The three men were later indicted by a grand jury, alongside a fourth, for Onfroy's murder.[26]

On August 7, 20-year-old Trayvon Newsome was arrested for his involvement in the murder. Newsome and Boatwright are the alleged shooters.[27]

Legal proceedings

Dedrick Williams was charged with dangerous and depraved first degree murder and probation violation, and was denied bail.[28][29][30] On June 25, he pled not guilty.[31] Williams had been arrested multiple times prior.[32]

On July 10, Michael Boatwright was arrested and charged with premeditated first-degree murder. According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Boatwright was initially arrested on unrelated drug charges on July 5 before he was formally charged with Onfroy's murder on July 10.[33]

On July 25, a third suspect, Robert Allen, 22, was taken into custody and charged with premeditated first-degree murder after U.S. Marshals found him at his sister's house in rural Georgia. He was booked in Dodge County, Georgia and is being held without bond on a warrant from the Broward County Sheriff's Office.[34]

On August 7, the Broward County Sheriff's Office announced on Twitter that Trayvon Newsome, 20, was taken into custody shortly before 5:00 p.m. EST and had been booked on charges of premeditated first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon.[35][36]

Jahseh Onfroy's father, Dwayne Onfroy, has stated that he wants the death penalty for the suspected shooters and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the suspected accomplices.[37] Since the suspects are being charged in Florida, if convicted of first-degree murder, they would be eligible for capital punishment.[38]

Aftermath

Following the announcement of Onfroy's murder, a makeshift memorial was quickly created by fans and local residents, consisting of lyrics from the artist and words of remembrance written in chalk stretching up to a hundred yards. The owner of RIVA Motorsports, where Onfroy was killed, held a vigil on June 18, 2018.[39] Hundreds gathered during the vigil and Broward County Sheriffs were forced to close the street.[4] Shortly after, a walk commenced between Onfroy's fans.[4] Onfroy's house in Parkland, Florida, which was being built at the time, was also memorialized by fans.[40] Onfroy's team issued a statement saying a proper memorial service would be arranged soon.[41]

Internet personality Adam Grandmaison, known professionally as Adam22, the creator of the podcast No Jumper, for which Onfroy had his first professional interview, held a memorial a day after Onfroy's death in front of his BMX retail store OnSomeShit on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles to a crowd of 354 people.[42][43] The crowd eventually grew to over 1,000 and police in riot gear eventually appeared with police en route to disperse the crowd.[44] According to reports, rubber bullets were shot and tear gas was used to disperse the crowd.[45]

Funeral

Onfroy's mausoleum

An open casket service for Onfroy took place at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, on June 27, where fans were allowed to pay their respects.[46][47] His private funeral took place a day later, where rappers Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Denzel Curry and singer Erykah Badu were among the attendees.[48] He was laid to rest in a grey mausoleum at the Gardens of Boca Raton Memorial Park, in Boca Raton, Florida.[49][50]

Commercial impact

On June 19, the day after Onfroy's death, Billboard reported that Taylor Swift's Spotify single-day streaming record for "Look What You Made Me Do" was broken by Onfroy's track "Sad!", with over 10.4 million streams compared to Swift's 10.1 million streams.[51][52] This was followed by a 16-fold sales increase across all streaming and download platforms, including a 7000-fold sales increase in CDs on Amazon.com.[53][54] Onfroy's album ? was expected to return to the top five the week of his death following his murder, ultimately reaching number three with 90,000 album-equivalent units sold, up from 19,000 the last week.[55]

In the week following his murder, Onfroy's highest-charting single, "Sad!", went from 52nd to 1st on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first artist to top the Hot 100 posthumously in a lead role since The Notorious B.I.G., with "Mo Money Mo Problems", in 1997.[56] On June 28, his management team posthumously released the music video for "Sad!", which has received over 123 million views whilst the audio has over 1.6 billion listens on Spotify.[57][58]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Inmate Detail - WILLIAMS, DEDRICK D".
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