Reports of Drake’s beef with late rapper XXXTentacion were again raised on Wednesday as one of the lead detectives in the case took the stand to testify.
Four men have been accused of plotting to murder XXXTentacion after he went to purchase a motorcycle at Riva Motorsports on June 18, 2018, in Florida. One of the defendants, Robert Allen, has taken a plea deal after being charged with second-degree murder, and he is now a state witness testifying against co-defendants Michael Boatwright (28), who is said to be the alleged shooter, Dedrick Williams (26), who allegedly drove the car that blocked XXX in so he can be robbed and also alleged to be the mastermind behind the murder and Trayvon Newsome (24), the second gunman.
They are on trial for first-degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery with a firearm in the killing of rapper XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy.
The trial currently taking place at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale continued Wednesday with one of the lead investigators, John Curcio taking the stand and being questioned about the rumors and reports that Drake could be a possible suspect in the death of XXXTentacion.
The detective was adamant that the incident and suspects were the four men currently involved in the trial.
“The two different timelines mirrored each other,” Curcio said. “When the phone arrived, the car [Dodge Journey], the journey is seen, when the phone leaves Riva, the journey is leaving Riva.”
Defense attorney Mauricio Padilla who is representing the alleged mastermind in the murder, Williams, pressed the investigator about whether there were reports received that Drake was involved in the rapper’s killing. Padilla’s client’s defense is that his client is innocent and that the police failed to properly investigate the murder, and that the true killers are walking free.
Padilla asked the investigator about social media posts made that imputed Drake as being a possible suspect.
He confirmed a post by XXX a month before he was killed.
“The first was allegedly ‘if something happens to me, Drake did it, or if I get killed, Drake did it’ and the second one was ‘my account has been hacked,’ again I’m paraphrasing, ‘I have no problem with Drake,'” Curcio said.
Another detective, Walter Foster, also testified that Mr. Padilla’s client, Williams’ was positively identified by his outfit, which was spotted on the surveillance camera.
“He was wearing a white or grey tank top and some dark-colored pants and some orange slides or slippers,” Foster said.
He also said cell phone evidence also incriminated Williams.
“After the shooting, the phone now starts travelling back south toward Fort Lauderdale,” Foster testified.
In the meantime, Padilla and Drake’s lawyer are at odds over a subpoena that is to be served on the artist to appear for a deposition. After agreeing that the rapper would sit for the deposition, Drake’s team was accused of refusing service by kicking the service documents away from the driveway of the rapper’s home.
While Padilla complained about the frustration, Cohen raised that Padilla had failed to effect service on the rapper. On Wednesday, it was decided that there will be no jury coming Friday, and the judge will hear arguments from Cohen and Padilla as to whether the court will force him to sit for a deposition.
Given the latest testimony, it’s up in the air whether the judge will deny the request since no other witness mentions Drake in the trial.
The prosecution will likely conclude their examination-in-chief early next week, Law & Crime reported, while the defense is expected to begin on Wednesday of the same week.
