Bust in killing of rap star
A suspect was arrested in the death of rapper XXXTentacion, according to police.
Dedrick D. Williams was taken into custody shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, two days after the artist, whose birth name was Jahseh Onfroy, was gunned down in South Florida. The arrest was confirmed to the Daily News by Broward County Sheriff’s Office Captain Robert Schakenberg.
XXXTentacion, 20, was outside a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach when two armed men approached him in what is believed to have been a robbery, according to sheriff ’s investigators.
They then allegedly fled in an SUV.
Charges for Williams, 22, include first-degree murder, a probation violation for theft of a motor vehicle and driving without a valid license. A judge ordered Thursday that Williams be held in jail without bond. The suspect used his right Thursday to reject further questioning.
An official with the Broward County Sheriff’s office confirmed authorities are still searching for additional suspects.
Williams has a history of legal issues. He was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and domestic battery in 2014 following an incident where he allegedly pointed a gun at his girlfriend’s head. He was charged in November with weapons and cocaine possession, and he’s been arrested multiple times for grand theft auto.
An Instagram page appearing to belong to Williams indicates he was a tattoo artist, as it features dozens of videos showing people with fresh ink.
XXXTentacion was a rising star in the hip hop realm. He began regularly posting music to Soundcloud in 2014 and began to garner mainstream recognition in recent years. His debut album “17,” which he released last year, rose to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, while his second album “?” peaked at No. 1 after its release in March and yielded a top-10 single with “Sad.”
But the rapper’s musical success was largely overshadowed by his legal problems, which included him being accused of beating up his pregnant girlfriend in 2016. 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.