Alicia Andrews, the woman accused of helping orchestrate the murder of Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio, will remain behind bars until her trial this fall after a judge denied her bond request during a hearing on August 29, 2025.
Circuit Judge Michelle Sisco presided over the bond hearing, where Andrews’ defense team presented multiple witnesses to secure her release. Family members, a best friend, and a gang unit detective testified, painting Andrews as a non-violent woman trapped in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend and co-defendant, Isaiah Chance.
Her father told the court,
“She wouldn’t hurt a fly. Alicia has never been in trouble. Never harmed anyone.”
Her mother described her daughter as a hardworking young woman who lived at home and juggled several jobs, including working at Amazon, teaching substitutes for special needs students, and providing skincare services.
Andrews’ best friend testified about a series of texts and photos Andrews sent her, showing injuries she claimed came from Chance. One February 2024 message read:
“He almost killed me.”
A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office gang unit detective also testified about the fallout between Chance and members of the ATK gang in late 2023, providing context for the ongoing gang rivalries that prosecutors say fueled Foolio’s murder.
The testimony, prosecutors argued, the new information did not meet the legal standard for reconsidering pretrial detention. They emphasized that the domestic violence allegations and gang dynamics were already known to the court during the initial detention hearing.
Prosecutors also pointed to phone records that tie Andrews directly to the coordinated attack. According to investigators, Andrews traveled with her co-defendants to Tampa and helped track Foolio to multiple locations before he was fatally shot outside a hotel on June 23, 2024.
Andrews’ attorneys have faced challenges in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Judge Sisco ruled that evidence of alleged domestic violence by Chance cannot be introduced at trial. Under Florida law, defendants charged with premeditated first-degree murder are barred from using duress as a defense, leaving Andrews unable to argue that her actions were driven by abuse.
Andrews faces charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors maintain that while Andrews herself is not a gang member, she knowingly participated in a plot carried out by her four co-defendants — Chance, Sean Gathright, and brothers Davion and Rashad Murphy — all of whom prosecutors link to rival Jacksonville gangs ATK and 1200.
The victim, 26-year-old Charles Jones, better known as Julio Foolio, was a rising Jacksonville rapper and prominent figure in the city’s gang conflicts. Prosecutors described his death as part of an escalating gang war.
Andrews’ trial, initially set for August 18, was delayed after the lead prosecutor suffered a medical emergency. Jury selection is now scheduled for October 20, 2025. If convicted, Andrews faces a mandatory life sentence.
Her co-defendants are scheduled to go on trial on April 8, 2026. Prosecutors have announced their intent to seek the death penalty against three of them, but Andrews is not facing capital punishment.
For now, Andrews will remain in jail, awaiting a trial expected to draw intense attention in Jacksonville and beyond.
