The jury, who have been listening to witness testimonies since Feb. 7 in the murder trial of late-Florida rapper, XXXTentacion, has officially entered deliberation on March 8. Just a few hours in, the Hon. Judge Michael Usan instructed the jurors to return on March 9 at 10:30 a.m. to continue deliberations.
Spilling into two days, March 7-8, of closing arguments all sides presented arguments one last time. Prosecutor Pascale Achille called the men, Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright, and Trayvon Newsom — “predators” who attacked an unsuspecting XXX.
Achille urged the jury to return with a “guilty” conviction.
She also played cellphone videos of the defendants hours after XXX died and laid out ballistic and cell phone evidence.
“This is who they are,” Achille told the jury while playing videos of the men smiling, dancing, and flashing fistfuls of $100 bills.
“This is their real character,” she continued. “Killers that within 24 hours after shooting the victim dead and stealing $50,000 from him, this is what they do.”
“Look at how happy they look. Look at how excited they look,” she noted as she continued to play the video.
Achille also played surveillance video from the Riva Motorsports and of the men allegedly stashing the Black Dodge Journey SUV she claimed connected the men to the murder.
Boatwright’s attorney, Joseph Kimok presented the final defense closing arguments on March 8. He told jurors that while XXX struggled with his killers before getting shot to death, the DNA found on his body, along with the stolen chain, wasn’t from Boatwright.
Kimok also said the DNA wasn’t Newsome’s, the accused second gunman or Williams who has been accused of being the getaway driver and ringleader.
“Whoever (XXXTentacion) struggled with is not in this courtroom,” Kimok told the jurors. “The DNA proves that someone not named, Michael Boatwright or Trayvon Newsome participated in this murder.”
Boatwright has been named the alleged shooter that shot the three bullets that killed XXXtentacion.
William’s attorney, Mauricio Padilla told the jury Allen was a “liar.” Noting that the prosecution’s additional witnesses also contradicted each other. He also said the Broward County Sheriff’s department didn’t look at other possible suspects, namely rap star Drake, who was beefing with XXX at the time of his death.
