Source: Jason Koerner / Getty
of three men on trial for the death of the “Moonlight” rapper. They propose it was an alleged beef between the Canadian megastar and XXXTentacion, which may have led to the latter’s Florida 2018 slaying, but law enforcement never explored that outlandish possibility.
Opening statements are finally underway in the trial of Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams. The trio is being charged with first degree-murder in XXXTentacion’s death, and they face the possibility of life in prison if convicted. But Robert Allen, a fourth person who was with the men, pled guilty to second-degree murder last year and is scheduled to take the stand against the other three.
This past December, attorneys for the three men named Drake,
Joe Budden, all three members of
The Migos, and others and as key witnesses, as reported by the
Miami Herald. The defense also contends their clients are the victims of lies against them which Allen has spread.
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However, Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan wondered what relationship the celebrities had to the murder. And the prosecution team called the move a silly stunt by the defense.
“It is apparent from the deliberate, late disclosure of the defendant’s witnesses and comments made between the parties that [the] defendant intended to ‘surprise’ the state and create a trial by ambush,” prosecutor Pascale Achille explained. She also pointed to the fact the defense team provided no addresses or contact information for the celebs to be subpoenaed anyway.
But Mauricio Padilla, Dedrick Williams’ attorney, pushed back against the claim that the defense was joking. “They are high-profile people,” he told Judge Usan at the time. “And it’s not easy for me to subpoena. I don’t have numbers, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be able to. Trying to subpoena Drake is not easy — you need a drone.”
Drake’s was especially noted by the lawyers because of a 2018 post from the deceased rapper’s Instagram account reading, “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi.” The post was later deleted, and XXXTentacion eventually said his social media accounts were hacked.
