Sterling Preston-XXXTentacion’s Fatal Shooting Case: 3 Men Found Guilty of Murdering Rapper

2025-05-01 20:29:04source:NSI Communitycategory:Markets

Nearly five years after his passing,Sterling Preston three men have been found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the death of XXXTentacion.

Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26 and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were convicted by a jury in Florida on the charges on March 20 after a week of deliberations. Their conviction comes nearly a year after a fourth man, Robert Allen, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Allen testified for the prosecution in the case against the other three, according to the Associated Press.

XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, died in June 2018 after being shot outside of a motorcycle shop in Florida. He was 20 years old.

According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, the Florida native was leaving RIVA Motorsports when two armed suspects approached his car, with at least one person firing a gun and the assailants grabbing a Louis Vuitton bag with $50,000 inside, before both fled in a dark-colored SUV. 

During the trial, prosecutors stated that Boatwright was the one who pulled the trigger, adding that Newsome was the other armed suspect and that Williams was behind the wheel of a waiting SUV, according to AP. They pleaded not guilty.

XXXTentacion gained a following after releasing several singles and mixtapes on SoundCloud, which culminated in him releasing his debut album, 17, in 2017.

However, the musician's legal woes were also prominent, with the rapper facing charges related to domestic battery, false imprisonment and aggravated battery of a pregnant woman that same year. After pleading not guilty to the charges, XXXTentacion was released from house arrest in March 2018, dying three months later as he awaited trial. 

All three men, who are facing mandatory life sentences, are set to appear in court again for their sentencing hearing on April 6, according to AP.

E! News has reached out to attorneys for comment and has not heard back.

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