FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Testimony in the murder trial of three men accused of killing South Florida rapper XXXTentacion continued at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday.
Proceedings picked up where they left off Friday.
Detectives arrested Trayvon Newsome, 24, Dedrick Williams, 26, Robert Allen, 26, and Michael Boatwright, 28, for the murder, but only Allen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is a witness in the case. The others are going to trial.
Detectives say the group ambushed and robbed the rapper, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, shortly before 4 p.m., on June 18, 2018, outside of RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach.
On Tuesday, the state came close to resting its case.
Experts walked jurors through evidence they said puts the three men in the car used to cut off XXXTentacion when he was killed.
Broward County Deputy David Alvarez also testified to witness intimidation towards Allen, who is cooperating with investigators.
He testified that as he escorted Allen in early February, Newsome began yelling at his alleged co-conspirator.
“He began to yell ‘there he is, working with the popo, the police, he also said he’s working with the white man now,’” Alvarez said.
The state plans to call its final witness Thursday, following an off day on Wednesday.
The defense is expected to start calling its witnesses on Friday.
The jury could get the case as early as the middle of next week.
Friday:
On Friday, the judge ruled that rapper Drake would not have to be deposed.
Defense attorneys tried to tie XXXTentacion’s killing to rumors that Drake and the South Florida rapper had beef with one another.
The defense wanted to question Drake’s involvement or lack thereof.
“At this point it appears to me nothing more than harassment of someone in order to set up some sort of strawman, ‘look over here,’ where there’s no evidence of that,” Judge Michael Usan said. “You are now just trying to drag somebody in who is a celebrity who does to want to be associated with this and the harm to that individual is not inconsequential.”