Michael Boatwright

Michael Boatwright (born September 12, 1995) is an American criminal and convicted murderer who was convicted for robbing and murdering rapper and singer-songwriter Jahseh Onfroy, commonly known as XXXTentacion, in Deerfield Beach, Florida on June 18, 2018. After robbing XXXTentacion, Boatwright shot him six times without provocation and left him to die in his car.

Michael Boatwright
2018 mugshot of Boatwright
Born (1995-09-12) September 12, 1995
OccupationLandscaper (former)
Known forMurder of XXXTentacion
Criminal statusIncarcerated
MotiveRobbery[lower-alpha 1]
Conviction(s)
Criminal penaltyTwo consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 30 years
Details
VictimsJahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, aged 20
DateJune 18, 2018
Location(s)Deerfield Beach, Florida
WeaponShort-barreled rifle
Date apprehended
July 10, 2018

Boatwright was arrested on July 10, 2018 in connection with the murder. Boatwright had been arrested multiple times prior. He was tried with two of his co-defendants in February to March 2023. On March 20, 2023, the jury found him guilty of premeditated first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. On April 6, 2023, he was sentenced to two consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus another 30 years consecutive for other charges.[1]

Earlier crimes

Boatwright had been arrested multiple times prior to the murder of XXXTentacion, mainly on drug charges. In 2013, he was arrested in Broward County for assault or battery on specified officials or employees. The same year, he was arrested again for selling cocaine or heroin within 1,000 feet of a school zone. For these charges, he was put on community control.

In 2015, Boatwright was arrested again for possession of cannabis and PVP, which also counted as a violation of his community control. Boatwright had already been in jail for an arrest on unrelated drug charges before he was charged with the murder of Jahseh Onfroy.[2][3][4]

Murder of XXXTentacion
Main article: Murder of XXXTentacion

On June 18, 2018, Boatwright had been in a rented car with his fellow co-conspirators: Trayvon Newsome, Dedrick Williams, and Robert Allen. The four were driving around, finding a potential victim to steal from, and Williams recognized Jahseh Onfroy, a.k.a. XXXTentacion, and the four tracked and targeted him. The four eventually trapped Onfroy in his own car with their rental car, and Boatwright and Newsome robbed Onfroy, reaching for Onfroy's chain and stealing his Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 US bills. Boatwright then walked one or two feet back and shooting him six times, killing him.[5][6][7]

Trial
Main article: XXXTentacion murder trial

Michael Boatwright went to trial with two of his co-defendants: Trayvon Newsome and Dedrick Williams on February 7, 2023, nearing five years after the murder. His third co-defendant, Robert Allen had previously taken a plea deal for second-degree murder for his testimony against Boatwright, Newsome, and Williams. Boatwright's attorney claimed in his opening that the fact that Boatwright searched "accessory to murder" proved he was innocent, but this was later disproven by Allen, who said that Boatwright searched it because he misinformed Allen that Allen could only be charged with accessory rather than actual murder.[8] A DNA analyst testified that Boatwright's DNA on the mask used in the murder was rarer than one in 929 nonillion.[9]

On March 20, 2023, the eighth day of jury deliberations, Boatwright and his two other co-defendants were found guilty on all counts. On April 6, 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[10][11][12][13]

Notes
  1. Motive for murdering Onfroy is unclear.

References
  1. "3 men convicted of killing rapper XXXTentacion sentenced to life in prison". 6 April 2023.
  2. Orfanides, Effie (2018-07-11). "Michael Boatwright: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  3. "MICHAEL BOATWRIGHT Inmate 571503812: Broward Jail near Fort Lauderdale, FL". 2018-07-12. Archived from the original on 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2023-03-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "Inmate Detail". apps.sheriff.org. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  5. Reiss, Jonathan (June 9, 2020). Look at Me!. Hachette Books. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-306-84541-3. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  6. "Police reveal how XXXTentacion's killers tracked rapper in final moments before fatal shooting". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  7. "XXXTentacion Shot in Apparent Robbery". CNN. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  8. Watch Live: XXXTentacion Murder Case — Suspects Face Trial in Armed Robbery Killing - Day Two, retrieved 2023-02-09
  9. Watch Live: XXXTentacion Murder Case — Suspects Face Trial in Armed Robbery Killing - Day 14, retrieved 2023-03-06
  10. "3 men convicted of killing rapper XXXTentacion sentenced to life in prison". 6 April 2023.
  11. Coscarelli, Joe (2023-03-20). "Three Convicted in 2018 Murder of Rapper XXXTentacion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  12. "XXXTentacion: three men found guilty of murdering rapper". The Guardian. 2023-03-20. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  13. "Jury convicts 3 of murder in death of rapper XXXTentacion". KTLA. 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
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