In June of 2018, just as he was rising to superstardom, the controversial Florida rapper XXXTentacion was murdered during a robbery at just 20 years old. Today, nearly five years later, three men were found guilty of first-degree murder in his killing.
As the New York Times reports, a jury found that Michael Boatwright, 28, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were the gunmen, with Boatwright firing the fatal bullet. Dedrick Williams, 26, was said to be the getaway driver and the mastermind behind the robbery. All three face mandatory life sentences. Prosecutors did not seek the death sentence.
The jury review more than 1,000 text messages plus photos and videos, seized from two of the defendants' phones. During the trial, the defense tried to argue that a lack of DNA evidence tied the suspects to the crime. Attorneys for the defense also unsuccessfully attempted to implicate Drake in XXXTentacion's killing.
