Suspect Arrested and Charged in Rapper XXXTentacion’s Death

On Wednesday evening, suspect Dedrick D. Williams was put under arrest in the death of rapper XXXTentacion, the Daily News confirms. The arrest comes two days after the 20-year-old Florida rapper was shot and killed outside a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, FL.

According to sheriff investigators, XXXTentacion – or Jahseh Onfroy, his birth name – was approached by two armed men in an alleged robbery. The suspects then got away an in SUV.

“Charges for Williams, 22, include first-degree murder, a probation violation for theft of a car motor vehicle and driving without a valid license,” reported the Daily News.

The Daily News said after the arrest it still was not clear if police were looking for another suspect.

Based on Williams’ past, this was not his first encounter with the law. In 2014, Williams was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and domestic battery where he allegedly threatened his girlfriend’s life. In November, he was charged with illegal weapon possession, cocaine possession, and multiple times for grand theft auto.

XXXTentacion was an up-and-coming rapper in the hip hop community. He released his first album “17” last year which rose all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. His second album “?” was released in March this year which topped the Billboard chart at No. 1, which included his top-10 hit single “SAD.”

Artists, such as Kanye West and Big Sean to name a couple, mourned the rapper’s premature death. Much of the rapper’s success, however, was largely darkened by his troubling and complicated past.

His legal problems “included him being accused of beating up his pregnant girlfriend in 2016,” said the Daily News. “He was charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman and false imprisonment among other charges, and he was due to stand trial before his death.”

RELATED: Rapper XXXTENTACION Found Fatally Shot in Miami

Brandon Walker
Author:
Brandon Walker is a junior finance major at Temple University. He is a committed writer and jazz pianist. Brandon has written for The Temple News and is interested in a career in business and communications. He can be reached at brandon.walker@temple.edu.