Three men have been sentenced to life in prison for the robbery-related murder of US rapper XXXTentacion. In 2018, the celebrity was shot outside a Florida motorcycle store while being robbed of $50,000 currency.
Two consecutive successful albums propelled the controversial 20-year-old rapper to the top of the charts.
Last month, Michael Boatwright, age 28, Dedrick Williams, age 26, and Trayvon Newsome, age 24, were found guilty of first-degree homicide and armed robbery.
There is no opportunity for parole or early release. The judge of Broward County, Michael Usan, informed them, “You will spend every hour, every day, every week, and every year of your life in that confinement.
“And one day, when they come to unlock that cell in the morning, you will have passed away, and only on that day will your sentence have been served.”
Surveillance video and cell phone footage of the men flashing wads of $100 bills hours after the ambush helped prosecutors link the murderers of the rapper to the crime.
XXXTentacion, whose actual name is Jahseh Onfroy, was captured on camera leaving Riva Motorsports with a friend when an SUV swerved in front of them and blocked their BMW.
Two masked assailants were observed confronting the rapper at the driver’s window, with one of them firing multiple shots at him.
They then seized a Louis Vuitton bag containing the cash that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank and sped away in an SUV.
At the hospital, the rapper was pronounced deceased.
Boatwright was identified as the primary shooter, while Newsome was accused of being the second shooter. Williams was accused of driving the SUV, while Robert Allen, a former companion of the rapper, was accused of being inside.
Allen pled guilty to second-degree murder last year, but his sentence was suspended pending the outcome of his accomplices’ prosecution. His sentencing date has not yet been determined.
During sentencing, the late rapper’s manager Soloman Sabande, speaking on behalf of the star’s family, stated that he was “senselessly” murdered and accused his murderers of lacking an “ounce of remorse.”
He stated,
“He was an inspiration to all who knew him and his talents. But not only was Jahseh’s life taken from us and his family, but it was also taken from his extended family of millions of individuals worldwide…
“Because of the actions of these murderers, Jahseh will never meet or raise his son.”
XXXTentacion discovered an audience by uploading songs to the website SoundCloud; he was hailed as a talent on the rise.
Following the release of his debut album 17 in 2017, the rapper, whose hit songs include SAD! and Moonlight, rose to prominence rapidly.
The allegations of domestic violence-plagued his personal life. At the time of his death, he was facing 15 felony charges, including aggravated violence against a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, and witness tampering.
His posthumous single is Sad! topped the US singles chart, and his posthumous album Skins reached the top spot on the US album chart.
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