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Arrest Made in Murder of Controversial Rapper XXXtentacion

Posted by Steve Karimi | Jun 25, 2018 | 0 Comments

A suspect in the murder of controversial rapper XXXtentacion has been arrested in Florida according to Broward County Sheriff's Office officials. The suspect, 22-year-old Dedrick D. Williams, is being held without bond for the rapper's murder on June 18, 2018. The arrest occurred at approximately 7 P.M. in Pompano Beach, Florida.

The shooting occurred early Monday evening. XXXtentacion was leaving RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Florida on his electric BMW i8. Based on the rapper's bank records, law enforcement believes he was at the dealership to purchase a motorbike. As he was leaving RIVA Motorsports, XXXtentacion was ambushed by two suspects and shot multiple times during a robbery attempt. The 20-year-old was raced to North Broward Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:40 P.M.

XXXtentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was an up-and-coming voice in the rap scene. He first gained mainstream notoriety after his single “Look at Me!” became a sensation on Soundcloud. His first album, 17, climbed as high as number two on the Billboard 200 chart. His most recent album titled ? debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 in March of 2018.

Multiple digital outlets have reported a surge of interest in the rapper's music since his passing. According to Nielsen Music, 33,000 copies of his album sold on the day he was killed. That marks an increase of 1,603 percent compared to the previous day. His music has also returned to Spotify to memorialize his death, despite previously being removed from the service due to “hateful conduct.”

XXXtentacion was not without his own legal issues. Arrested repeatedly as a juvenile, his first serious brush with the law came after attacking a homosexual cellmate over the way the man looked at him. At the time of his death, the rapper was also facing assault charges. According to his pregnant girlfriend at the time, the rapper physically assaulted her and threatened to kill both her and her unborn child in October 2016. XXXtentacion was facing over a dozen felony charges at the time of his death. In addition to the charges related to punching and kicking his pregnant girlfriend, he was also alleged to have falsely imprisoned her. In an interview with the Miami New Times, his girlfriend described harrowing violence that included being choked, threatened with knives, and even being held under water while the rapper promised to drown her. The reaction to his death on social media was unsurprisingly mixed between those who loved his music and those who found his violent past abhorrent.

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Steve Karimi

Steve Karimi attended Pepperdine University School of Law. After graduation he worked as a prosecutor in Seattle where he gained valuable insight to the criminal justice system. Attorney Karimi uses his experiences as a prosecutor everyday only now he fights for the justice of those accused.

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Named a "rising star" in criminal defense by Washington Law and Politics magazine, Mr. Karimi is a former prosecutor for King County who uses his insight into prosecution strategies to protect his clients' rights in criminal court.