Three men jailed for life over murder of rapper XXXTentacion
Three men have sentenced to life in prison over the murder of American rapper XXXTentacion.
The 20-year-old singer-songwriter, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was shot dead while being robbed outside a Florida motorbike shop in 2018.
Trayvon Newsome, 24, Michael Boatwright, 28, and Dedrick Williams, 26, were found guilty last month of first-degree murder and armed robbery following a month-long trial.
While Florida does have the death penalty, it was not sought by prosecutors.
The defendants showed little emotion as they stood one by one to be handcuffed in court.
XXXTentacion had just left a motorbike shop with a friend when an SUV swerved in front of him and blocked his BMW.
He was shot repeatedly by a masked gunman while at the wheel of his car, before the group grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing cash he had withdrawn from the bank, and fled the scene.
Surveillance footage from inside and outside Riva Motorsports, in suburban Fort Lauderdale, linked Boatwright, Williams and Newsome to the shooting.
The jury was also shown mobile phone footage shot by the men, showing themselves flashing fistfuls of $100 notes just hours after the killing.
A fourth man, Robert Allen, a former friend of the defendants who said he took part in the robbery, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder. He is yet to be sentenced.
Boatwright was identified as the primary gunman and Newsome was accused of being the other one.
Williams was accused of driving the SUV and Allen of being inside the vehicle.
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XXXTentacion was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs.
However, he also drew criticism over multiple arrests. Battery charges against him concerning a former girlfriend were dropped following his death.
The rapper has a four-year-old son, Gekyume, who was born seven-months after his death.
