The accused killers of Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy whose stage name is XXXTentacion have been found guilty of first-degree murder On Monday (March 20), following a month-long trial.
The 20-year-old musician was at a South Florida motorcycle dealership on June 18, 2018, when he became the victim of a robbery by the three gun men.
He got shot while in his vehicle and the robbers ran off with $50K in cash and a Louis Vuitton bag.
Michael Boatwright, 27, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were each convicted on charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
Jurors deliberated for slightly more than seven days before delivering the verdicts on Monday, March 20, marking the end of a trial that lasted about one month.
Each convicted perpetrator is expected to receive a mandatory life sentence.
A fourth man named Robert Allen was also arrested in connection to the killing but he pled guilty last year to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against the other 3 suspects, adding he was hesitant about the robbery and even asked the others to ditch the idea in the moment.
He could still face a lifetime prison sentence for his alleged role in the killing.
The deadly armed robbery was captured by a surveillance camera.
Jurors in the criminal trial for Boatwright, Williams and Newsome saw the graphic footage in court this past February.
It showed an SUV drive up to Onfroy’s car in the motorbike shop’s parking lot before stopping perpendicular to the BMW, preventing it from exiting onto the street.
Two masked individuals can be seen leaving the SUV and approaching the driver’s side window of Onfroy’s car.
A confrontation ensues that ends with one assailant firing a gun through the window.
Both suspects then proceed to escape with $50,000 in cash, which Onfroy was carrying inside a Louis Vuitton satchel when the shooting happened, according to testimony heard during the trial.
He had planned to use the money to purchase a motorbike from the shop, prosecutors said.
Boatwright and Newsome were the assailants seen in that surveillance footage, according to the prosecution, and the deadly gunshot followed what was a visible brawl allegedly over the money.
Lead prosecutor, Achille also played video footage for the jury, which, according to the prosecuting attorney, was recorded by the three defendants just hours after XXXTentacion was killed and showed each of the men dancing as they flaunted numerous $100 bills.
‘This is who they are,’ said Pascale Achille according to Associated Press in her attempt to convince the jury that the aforementioned individuals did in fact kill XXXTentacion.
‘This is their real character. Killers that within 24 hours after shooting the victim dead and stealing $50,000 from him, this is what they do. Look at how happy they look. Look at how excited they look.’
Williams was driving the getaway vehicle and remained inside the SUV as the shooting took place, according to testimony heard in court.
The prosecution built its argument around the accusation that the violent robbery that preceded Onfroy’s death was carefully planned.
Prosecutors told the jury in Broward County that the three suspects standing trial had devised a scheme one day before the Deerfield Beach shooting, on June 17, that involved renting a vehicle and traveling around the area to commit various robberies.
They allegedly spotted Onfroy leaving the parking lot of the motorbike shop, where they had intended to purchase a face mask, and decided to target him, prosecutors said.
