Defense attorneys in the trial of the four men who have been charged with murdering rapper XXXtentacion in 2018 have listed eminent rappers like Drake, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Quavo, and even another murdered rapper, Takeoff, as potential witnesses.
This move likely stems from online rumours suggesting that Drake was somehow involved with the murder of XXXtentacion since the latter had said on Instagram, “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” referring to the Instagram handle of the Canadian rapper.
Four months after the incident, XXXtentacion, who was 20 at the time of his death, was killed in Florida.
Following the submission of this list, Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan has asked the defense lawyers to give him in writing the relevance of the aforementioned rappers in regard to the case. The prosecuting attorneys have called this a stunt.
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Miami Herald reports that Prosecutor Pascale Achille, wrote regarding the incident, “It is apparent from the deliberate, late disclosure of the defendant’s witnesses and comments made between the parties that [the] defendant intended to ‘surprise’ the state and create a trial by ambush”.
Mauricio Padilla, who submitted the list in question, said regarding the subpoenas that need to be issued, “They are high-profile people. And it’s not easy for me to subpoena. I don’t have numbers, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be able to,” further adding, “Trying to subpoena Drake is not easy — you need a drone.”
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XXXtentacion was leaving a store called Riva Motorsports Motorcycle & Marine Superstore on June 18, 2018, when he was ambushed by two armed individuals. They shot and looted him and jumped into the getaway car being driven by Dedrick Williams, whom Padilla is representing.
