Suspect arrested in connection with XXXTentacion’s murder

A 22-year-old Florida man was arrested Wednesday night and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion, according to Broward County authorities.

Dedrick Devonshay Williams, 22, of Pompano Beach, was taken into custody just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to documents provided by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

He was booked on charges of first-degree murder and operating a vehicle without a license, in addition to a probation violation.

XXXTentacion (real name: Jahseh Onfroy) was killed late Monday afternoon as he was leaving RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Detectives said Onfroy was approached by two armed men, and that the shooting may have been part of a robbery. It is unclear whether police are still seeking a second suspect.

The 20-year-old rapper was a controversial, but rising, figure. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial on charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering.

His ex-girlfriend detailed the alleged abuse, which she said took place both before and during her pregnancy, in a Miami New Times story published just weeks before Onfroy’s death.

Onfroy, who had also pleaded no contest to previous charges of armed home-invasion robbery and battery, was also known to get into fistfights with fans at his concerts, and once recalled in an interview brutally attacking a “homosexual” cellmate for looking at him.

Amid outcry over his violent reputation, Spotify briefly removed XXXTentacion’s music from its curated playlists, but restored them after protests by high-profile artists, including Kendrick Lamar.

A number of celebrity musicians, including Kanye West, J. Cole and Diplo, expressed shock on social media following the rapper’s death.

The Washington Post