The XXXTentacion murder trial is scheduled to begin next year and defense attorneys for one of the four men charged with the 2018 murder have presented a list of potential witnesses that include Drake, 6ix9ine, Joe Budden and more.
According to a Miami Herald report, published last Thursday (Dec. 15), the defense for the suspected gunman, Dedrick Devonshay Williams, have listed Drizzy, Tekashi, Budden, Quavo, Offset, the late Migos rapper Takeoff and more as potential witnesses in the murder trial.
According to the publication, the reason why Drake appeared on the witness list was because of his social media feud with the late rapper before his death. In 2017, X had beef with Drake over what he believed was the Canadian rapper biting his flow from his breakout track “Look at Me!” on the song “KMT.” A year later, a cryptic post surfaced months before X’s death that read: “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” which is Drake’s Instagram handle. But XXXTentacion later claimed his Instagram account had been hacked.
On Thursday, prosecutor Pascale Achille filed a motion questioning the defense’s witness list and arguing that the defense didn’t provide addresses where the notable celebrities could be served subpoenas or any contact information. “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,” he wrote, as reported by the Herald.
Miami defense attorney Mauricio Padilla, who is representing Dedrick Williams, the alleged getaway driver in X’s killing, denied Achille’s claims, blaming delayed depositions, including one of Cleopatra Bernard, XXXTentacion’s mother.
“They are high-profile people. And it’s not easy for me to subpoena,” Padilla told Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan. “I don’t have numbers, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be able to. Trying to subpoena Drake is not easy — you need a drone.”
XXL has reached out to Mauricio Padilla for comment.
Other rappers featured on the list included Tankhead666 and Ski Mask The Slump God, who is a dear friend of the late rhymer.
Although several big-name rappers are featured on the list, it’s not a guarantee that they will come to court and testify. According to the Herald, prosecutors or attorneys for the rappers could ask a judge to keep them out of the case, arguing there is no evidence linking them to the murder.
Williams, 27, is among the four men charged in the June 2018 murder and robbery of XXXTentacion. Williams, along with defendants Michael Boatwright (27), Trayvon Newsome (24) and Robert Allen (26) were all charge with first-degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery with a firearm. Williams was also charged with a probation violation for theft of a car motor vehicle and driving without a valid license, in connection with the killing.
The XXXTentacon murder trial is scheduled to start on Jan. 9, 2023, in Broward County, Fla.
See the Current Status of Every Murdered Rapper’s Case
XXL takes a look at the current status of the cases of hip-hop murders that have occurred over the past 35 years.
