Four men indicted in murder of Florida rapper XXXTentacion

[July 20, 2018]  (Reuters) - A grand jury has indicted four men in the June murder of up-and-coming rapper XXXTentacion in Florida, officials said on Thursday.

Dedrick Williams, 22, Michael Boatwright, 22, Trayvon Newsome, 20, and Robert Allen, 22, were indicted on Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery with a firearm, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said.

Jahseh Onfroy, who was known as XXXTentacion, was fatally shot on June 18 in broad daylight as he left a business in Deerfield Beach, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Miami, according to a Thursday statement from the sheriff's office.

XXXTentacion's hit "Sad," rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts following his death.

Boatwright and Williams have been arrested. The men or their lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment. Officials are searching for Allen and Newsome.

Boatwright and Newsome were armed when they confronted the rapper in an apparent robbery, sheriff's officials said.

The 20-year-old rapper was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to officials.

XXXTentacion was born and raised in Plantation, Florida. He released his debut album in August 2017. His second album "?" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart when it was released in March.

The rapper had spent time in jail and was awaiting trial on allegations of domestic violence against his pregnant girlfriend, local media reports said.

(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Editing by Chris Reese)

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