A family friend of rapper XXXTentacion broke down on Tuesday when he told jurors how he and the rapper were ambushed by armed robbers as they were leaving a motorcycle shop, how he fled in fear and then heard gunshots. Suni who killed the rising star.
Leonard Kerr’s testimony highlighted the opening day in the trial of three men accused of fatally shooting XXXTentacion on June 18, 2018, inside his BMW sports car, which was blocked by an SUV as Kerr and The rapper had pulled out of the parking lot of Riva Motorsports. Lots near Fort Lauderdale.
Kerr said two men came out with guns. He said the tall man pointed his weapon at him and told him not to get out of the car, disobeying his command with a curse word. The other person was trying to pull the gold chain from the rapper’s neck. Kerr said that he could hear XXXTentacion saying, “What’s this for?” At that point, Kerr said, he decided to make his escape by pressing the button that opened the passenger door.
“If I run, I may get shot, but I may live. If I sit…” said Kerr, his voice trailing off as he paused to regain his composure. did not go.
Kerr said that when he looked back, the tall man was pointing his gun at XXXTentacion, and said he heard at least two loud bangs. The men then got back into the SUV and took away the $50,000 the rapper had in her designer bag.
Michael Boatwright, 28, is alleged to be the shooter, while his friend, Trayon Newsom, 24, is alleged to be the second gunman. Dedrick Williams, 26, is accused of being the driver. They can all receive life sentences if convicted of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say a fourth man who was in the SUV, 26-year-old Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder and is set to testify against his former friends.
During opening statements earlier Tuesday, jurors heard varying theories about the shooting. According to prosecutors, a robbery took place. According to the defense, it could have been a feud between XXXTentacion and megastar Drake, but they say detectives declined to investigate that possibility.
Prosecutor Pascal Achille told jurors that Boatwright, Newsom, Williams and Allen had gone out that day to commit an armed robbery. She said that Allen and Williams had gone inside a motorcycle shop to buy masks.
There, they happened upon XXXTentacion, who, according to Kerr, had $50,000 he had just gotten from the bank hanging from his backpack. The pair recognized him, and the group seized on the opportunity, deciding to rob him, Akile said. Boatwright shot her several times “without provocation”, she said.
To varying degrees, the defendants are linked to the shooting by surveillance video and cellphone locations, and all have been implicated through Allen’s expected testimony, Akil said. Then there are photos of some of the men on social media showing off flashes of money posted that night, she said.
“They go on social media and start boasting that they have cash flow,” Akile said. “They flash it like Christmas day.”
For the men’s lawyers, the defendants are victims of Robert Allen’s lies and the failure of detectives to investigate XXXTentacion’s feud with Drake – XXXTentacion once said on social media that if he ever died, the Canadian rapper would be the reason. Will happen. He later retracted. Another rapper also made threats against XXXTentacion.
He said the Broward Sheriff’s Office was under immense political pressure to quickly solve the case, just four months after the rapper killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
“For Broward County, for everyone involved, this was a nightmare,” said Mauricio Padilla, Williams’ attorney.
That’s why they wanted no part in the investigation of a celebrity, he said.
Prosecutors say there is no evidence linking Drake to the shooting, and Williams is clearly seen in the store’s surveillance video, recognizable through his distinctive facial tattoo. He was also identified with a clerk. Padilla acknowledged that Williams was present at the store, but did not say how he would explain it.
Boatwright’s attorney Joseph Kimok also pointed to a third person as the possible shooter – a friend Williams had seen talking inside a motorcycle store just before the shooting, which has the same build as his client. They indicated that a friend may have been riding in the SUV Williams was driving outside the view of the surveillance cameras. He said evidence would show Boatwright was sleeping in the home he shared with his grandmother at the time of the shooting.
“At no point (in the surveillance video) would you see Mr. Boatwright, because he was not there,” Kimok said.
Yes, a cellphone attached to it was near the store — but it was a community phone used by several men, he said. And yes, he “acted very foolishly” with the money that night – but the money belonged to Allen, not Boatwright, Kimok said.
Newsom’s attorney also denied that his client was present.
The victim, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, pronounced his stage name as “x-x-x-ten-ta-si-yawn”. He was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his lyrics. He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including allegations that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.