XXXTentacion's murder trial is set to begin five years after his death
The trial for the murder of rapper XXXTentacion is finally set to begin five years after he was fatally shot.
XXXTentacion, real name Jahseh Onfroy, was killed at Deerfield Beach, Florida in June 2018 during what police have called a robbery attempt.
CCTV footage from the incident shows two masked men cornering the rapper in his BMW, before jumping out of their SUV to steal a satchel of cash from him and shooting him multiple times.
Five years on, the suspects and a third alleged accomplice are finally set to stand trial for first-degree murder.
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Michael Boatwright, 28, is accused of pulling the trigger on the rapper, while Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, have been charged as alleged accomplices.
Prosecutors have claimed that Boatwright and Newsome are the two men seen in surveillance footage from XXXTentacion's shooting.
Investigators have also stated that Boatwright's fingerprints were found at the scene, on the driver door of the rapper's BMW, while Williams was identified by a witness.
However, the defence are expected to argue that the late rapper had beef with lots of other people who would also have had motive to rob him.
The three men are also charged with armed robbery, and have pleaded not guilty.
If convicted, all three could potentially face life sentences.
A fourth suspect, Robert Allen, 26, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a plea deal last year, is set to testify against the three men in the upcoming trial.
The trial in Fort Lauderdale is expected to begin in early February and continue through March.
Circuit Judge Michael Usan has already begun laying out the ground work for the trial, having already rejected Michael Boatwright's attorney's request to have him declared mentally incompetent to stand trial, and his request to have all three suspects tried separately.
This Wednesday (18 January), jury selection for the trail began.
XXXTentacion was up-and-coming on the hip hop scene around the time of his death, with his tracks 'Sad!' and 'Don't Cry' reaching the top ten on the Billboard Charts.
He had developed a strong cult following thanks to his lyrics about depression, mental anguish, and vulnerability.
Unfortunately, his successful career had been overshadowed by reports of his violent behaviour.
The rapper had been up against 15 felony charges at the time of his death, including counts of false imprisonment, aggravated battery of a pregnant woman and domestic battery by strangulation, for alleged incidents involving his ex-girlfriend in 2016.
In May 2018, he became one of the few artists to be temporarily banned from Spotify's in-house playlists due to its policy of not promoting artists with a history of alleged hateful conduct.
Ali Condon