Jurors made their request in the afternoon, asking to see data from the phones of alleged shooter Michael Boatwright, 28, and accused getaway driver and ringleader Dedrick Williams, 26, the day before and the day of the shooting.
Williams sent and received over 950 text messages during that time and Boatwright had over 200. The jurors had to crowd near a projection screen at the front of the courtroom to read them; They could not be read from the gallery.
Jurors did not seek any data from the phones of alleged second gunman Trayvon Newsom, 24, or alleged co-conspirator Robert Allen, 26. Allen testified against his former friends after pleading guilty to second-degree murder last year.
Boatwright, Williams and Newsom are charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery and face mandatory life sentences if convicted. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. Jurors have deliberated for nearly 15 hours since receiving the case late Wednesday at the end of four weeks of testimony. The deliberations will resume on Tuesday.
XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, and a friend had just left Riva Motorsports, where he was looking to buy a motorcycle, when his BMW was pulled over by an oncoming SUV.
Surveillance video showed two masked gunmen approached and confronted the 20-year-old rapper at the driver’s window, and one shot him repeatedly. He then grabbed a bag full of money and fled back in the SUV. The friend was not harmed.
Allen testified that the men had gone out to commit a robbery that day and had gone to a motorcycle shop to buy Williams’ mask. There he saw the rapper and decided to make him his target. Allen and Williams went inside the shop to confirm that it was the artist.
They then went back to the SUV they had rented, waited for XXXTentacion to emerge and ambushed him, according to testimony. Prosecutors said surveillance video, cellphone data from the dealership and videos of men showing money linked them to the shooting.
The men’s lawyers said Allen was lying and that their DNA was not found on the artist. Lawyers for some of the men said that while the videos showing the money were “silly”, they do not prove that their clients were actually involved in the shooting and robbery.
The rapper, who pronounced his name “x x x ten-ta-si-yawn”, was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his lyrics. He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including allegations that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.
