The murderers of XXXTentacion have been found guilty and given life sentences.

On Thursday, three men were given life sentences for the 2018 shooting death of XXXTentacion, a well-known rapper who was shot outside a South Florida motorcycle shop while being held up for $50,000.

 

Following eight days of deliberations, a jury last month found Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery.

Broward County Circuit Judge Michael Usan could only impose life in prison for the first-degree murder convictions because the prosecution had not requested the death penalty.

Prosecutors used extensive surveillance footage both inside and outside of Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale, along with cellphone videos the men shot of themselves flashing fistfuls of $100 bills hours after the killing, to connect Boatwright, Williams, and Newsome to the June 18, 2018, shooting outside the business. The trial lasted a month.

The testimony of a fourth man, Robert Allen, a former friend of the defendants who claimed to have taken part in the robbery, was also presented by the prosecution. He admitted guilt to second-degree murder last year. His sentencing was postponed until the other three defendants' trials were finished. Killers of XXXTentacion are given life sentences in prison.

Allen's sentence could be as little as time served — meaning he could soon be released — or as long as life, depending partly on how much weight prosecutors give to his assistance.

Defense attorneys accused Allen of being a liar who was motivated by his desire to avoid a life sentence. They also said prosecutors and detectives did a poor job on the investigation and didn't look at other possible suspects, including the Canadian rap star Drake, who had feuded with XXXTentacion online.

XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports with a friend when an SUV swerved in front of him and blocked his BMW.

Surveillance video showed two masked gunmen emerging and confronting the 20-year-old singer at the driver's window, with one shooting him repeatedly. They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing cash that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, got back into the SUV and sped away. The rapper's friend was not harmed.

Boatwright was identified as the primary shooter and Newsome was accused of being the other gunman. Williams was accused of driving the SUV and Allen of being inside the vehicle.