by Booker Jones

February 10, 2023

Judge Orders Drake to Give Disposition in XXXTentacion’s Murder Trial

If you’ve been following the murder trial of the late XXXTentacion, then you’ve seen the theory of defense attorneys naming Drake as a possible suspect in the murder of X. Now, the 6 God is being ordered to give a deposition or make an appearance in court later this month for the XXXTentacion murder trial.

Mauricio Padilla—defense attorney for Dedrick Williams, one of three suspects on trial—attempted to subpoena Drake late last month. Per Rolling Stone, Padilla claims the Her Loss artist was, in fact, served properly, but was a no-show.

On Feb. 7, the legal team for Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome and Dedrick Williams, the three men charged with XXXtentacion’s murder, told jurors that investigators and the prosecution were hasty in their conclusion that the defendants were the culprits. They also alleged a failure to explore the possibility of Drake’s or other celebrities’ involvement and were feeling pressured to nab a suspect in the murder, due to the crime being in close proximity to the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School months earlier, during which 17 people were killed.

The defense pointed to a social media post by XXXtentacion prior to his death, warning that if he were to end up dead, Drake was behind the murder. The rapper later claimed that his Instagram account was hacked and that he was not responsible for the post.

XXXTentacion was shot and killed during a robbery on June 18, 2018, while leaving Riva Motorsports in Florida. According to the prosecution, Boatwright, Newsome, and Williams had come to the store looking to purchase masks to disguise themselves during armed robberies, but spotted XXXTentacion and decided to key in on him instead. As the rapper was leaving the location in his BMW, his car was cut off by the suspects, with Boatwright and Newsome approaching the vehicle and demanding money. After retrieving $50,000 from a Louis Vuitton bag inside the BMW, Boatwright shot XXXTentacion multiple times “without any provocation,” said prosecutor Pascale Achille.

Billboard also reported that Padilla listed Migos, Joe Budden, and Tekashi 6ix9ine as potential witnesses, however, at a hearing reported on by The Miami Herald, prosecutors called the move a stunt.


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