A surprise twist in the murder case against XXXTentacion has brought Drake once more into the fold of that case. One of three men who have been convicted in relation to the killing of the rapper in 2018, Dedrick Williams, now appeals-a process in which Drake finds himself once more under scrutiny, as partial motives between the two celebrities have now become relevant to the possible crime connection.
XXXTentacion was born Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy and was tragically killed in a robbery-turned-murder on June 18, 2018, outside a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The star had been ambushed by masked assailants who stole $50,000 in cash before fatally shooting him.
In March 2023, Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome had been convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery, each being condemned to life. The conviction of the trio had appeared to put the case to rest until an appeal by Williams recently.
Williams’s attorney, Mauricio Padilla, filed an appeal seeking the reopening of the investigation in which Drake is one among named possible suspects. The motion is greatly based on what XXXTentacion may have posted on Instagram-one that claimed, “If anybody kills me, it’s Drake.” The post is said to have been created on August 5, 2017, prior to the death, and was just deleted afterwards; later then, he claimed his account has just been hacked.
Padilla argues this, in concert with documented public feud of the rappers, shows a motive not fully investigated during the original investigation. He also said other witnesses, including fellow artists conversant with the feud, could testify about the hostile relationship between the two.
The tensions between XXXTentacion and Drake go back to 2017 when XXXTentacion accused Drake of swiping his style. The allegations blew up into a very public feud with XXXTentacion going as far as to make wild claims against Drake on social media. Those claims gained traction when DJ Akademiks-a hip-hop media personality-reportedly told XXXTentacion that messing with Drake might get him killed.
Despite the highly public nature of the feud, prosecutors and investigators never linked Drake to the murder. Padilla, however, thinks the feud and XXXTentacion’s Instagram post deserve a closer look.
During the 2023 trial, Drake was subpoenaed to testify but failed to appear. Padilla motioned for a court order compelling the rapper’s deposition. The judge dismissed the subpoena due to procedural errors and lack of credible evidence. Lawyers for Drake called the claims “baseless and oppressive.” Prosecutors stressed the crime was an opportunistic robbery, unrelated to the feud.
The appeal has fired up publicity anew as fans and critics alike began to speculate on the aftermath of such a possibility. While the filing does raise some questions about the adequacy of the initial investigation, it does not provide any direct evidence to link Drake with the crime. Other lawyers termed the appeal as being to implant reasonable doubt on the account of Williams than a reasonable accusation on the account of Drake.
