Three men have been found guilty of killing 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion in 2018, during an ambush and robbery outside a South Florida motorcycle shop.
Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were also convicted of armed robbery by the jury at Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday.
All three were charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of the controversial rapper and face a possible sentence of life behind bars.
Another man, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder.
XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports with a friend when an SUV swerved in front of him and blocked his BMW.
Surveillance video showed two masked gunmen emerging and confronting the singer at the driver’s window, and one shot him repeatedly. They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 (€46.400) in cash that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, got back into the SUV and sped away. The friend was not harmed.
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During the monthlong trial, prosecutors linked Boatwright, Williams and Newsome to the shooting outside Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale through extensive surveillance video taken inside and outside the store, plus cellphone videos the men took showing them flashing fistfuls of $100 bills hours after the slaying.
Boatwright was identified as the primary shooter, and Newsome was accused of being the other gunman. Williams was accused of being the driver of the SUV, and Allen of being inside the vehicle.
The rapper, who pronounced his name “Ex ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN,” was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs. He also drew criticism over bad behaviour and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.
