No verdict yet on those accused of killing XXXTentacion

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) — A jury in the case of three men accused of killing rising rap star XXXTentacion outside a motorcycle dealership almost five years ago failed to reach a verdict on Friday, meaning they will resume next week.

On Friday, the jury deliberated for about five hours, resulting in a total of about 10 hours since the case was received late Wednesday night. The group of 12 will return to court on Monday.

On Friday, they asked District Judge Michael Ousan to show a transcript of the testimony given by alleged police chief Dedrick Williams to investigators after his arrest. None of them were presented in court, so they were told to rely on their recollections of what the detectives testified to.

Defendant shooter Michael Boatwright, 28, Williams, 26, and accused co-shooter Trayvon Newsom, 24, are charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery. All of them face mandatory life imprisonment if found guilty. The prosecutor’s office did not seek the death penalty.

A fourth man, 26-year-old Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder and testified against his former friends.

XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jasey Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale with a friend on June 18, 2018, when his BMW was blocked by an SUV that swerved ahead.

Surveillance video showed that two armed masked men got out and confronted the 20-year-old singer at the driver’s window, and one of them shot him several times. They then grabbed a $50,000 Louis Vuitton bag that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, got back into the SUV, and sped away. The friend was not hurt.

Allen testified that the men intended to commit a robbery that day and went to a motorcycle shop to buy Williams a mask. There they noticed the rapper and decided to make him their target. Allen and Williams went into the store to make sure it was him.

They then returned to the rented SUV, waited for XXXTentacion to show up, and ambushed him, according to the testimony. Prosecutors say surveillance video from the dealership and mobile phone data link the men to the scene. They also showed jurors videos the men allegedly posted on social media that night of them displaying handfuls of $100 bills.

Lawyers for the men said that Allen was lying and that their DNA was not found on the artist. Lawyers for some of the men said that while the videos showing the money were “stupid,” they did not prove that their clients were actually involved in the shooting and the robbery.

The rapper, who spelled his name “Ex ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN”, was a rising platinum-selling star who addressed issues such as prejudice and depression in his songs. He also came under fire for bad behavior and numerous arrests, including allegations that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.

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