Guns, Music, and Money: The XXXTentacion Trial

Growing up in Lauderhill, Florida, Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy had a difficult upbringing, jumping between his mother’s and grandmother’s houses, after his father was sent to prison. From a very young age, he got himself into violent situations, including trying to stab a man who was “messing” with his mother as well as expulsion from his first middle school due to fighting. His mother realized there was something wrong and took him to a specialist who diagnosed him with bipolar disorder. Despite his problems, Onfroy found an escape through music. Enjoying genres such as hard rock and rap, he even taught himself how to play the guitar and piano. After dropping out of high school in the tenth grade, Onfroy spent around nine months in juvenile detention for a gun possession charge, where he met fellow rapper Ski Mask the Slump God, and gave his other personality, the more violent one, the name XXXTentacion. 

After being released from juvenile detention in 2013, Jahseh Onfroy began work on his first piece of music as XXXTentacion, called, “Vice City.” The song was released in early 2014, although it did not receive much attention, two years later, however, the young rapper shot to stardom with his track, “Look At Me!” The song was initially released in late 2015 but became popular after a song by Drake was believed to have a similar flow, sparking a large surge in popularity, even though Onfroy was back in prison at the time. Shortly after, he signed with Empire Records for the release of his debut studio album, “17,” which debuted at number two on the U.S. charts. This later followed his sophomore album, “?” which sold 131,000 units in its first week, debuting at number one and going on to be the third most streamed album throughout 2018. However, during this time under the microscope, Onfroy’s violent past came into the limelight. 

Geneva Ayala, X’s former girlfriend, was kicked out of her home at age sixteen after her mother decided to move in with her boyfriend. This is allegedly when her relationship with Onfroy began. After four “intense” days together, in which Onfroy beat up Ayala’s ex-boyfriend for posting illicit pictures of her, the pair separated and did not see each other for eighteen months. When the pair reunited, the relationship turned from loving to toxic, a few weeks after the first instance of domestic violence occurred between the pair. Onfroy allegedly kicked, punched, tackled, and stepped on Ayala, additionally telling her that he would “cut out” her tongue. Why did Onfroy do this? Because he heard Ayala singing another artist’s song. The violence only continued to worsen over the following weeks, especially after Ayala revealed to Onfroy that she was pregnant with his child. Onfroy’s violence finally reaches a climax when he beat her yet again, but would not let her go to the hospital as he wanted the bruises on her face to heal. When she tried to get neighbors to take her, Onfroy and his friends took her to another apartment where she was locked away for two days before finally escaping to the police station. Onfroy was arrested the following day, on charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering. 

With his past firmly in the spotlight, Onfroy’s trial date was set for June 2018. Facing potential life imprisonment, due to the build-up of all his crimes and violations of probation rules, Onfroy decided to indulge in his wealth, telling his mother that he was going to buy a motorbike. While inside the dealership, three men were spotted glancing over at Onfroy as he looked at several different bikes. When he finally left, the three men were waiting in the parking lot, as his BMW was blocked at the exit by a large SUV. Two masked men confronted Onfroy, first asking for the fifty thousand dollars in his Louis Vuitton bag, and when he said no, shot him before ripping the bag off of him. Onfroy was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly after. 

Four men were due to be prosecuted for the murder of Jahseh Onfroy. However, the fourth, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges last year and will testify against the other three who have pleaded not guilty. The witness list only makes the case more intriguing. Popular rappers such as Quavo, Tekashi 6ix9ine, and even Drake, could all potentially be called to testify for the defense. In pretrial hearings, the defense attorneys argued that there were others with more to gain from the death of Onfroy, including members of his own family and other rappers. Despite this, the evidence is far too damning for them to get out of the mess that they have created. Investigators not only found video evidence of the defendants following Onfroy around the store but also the fingerprints of one of the defendants on the door of Onfroy’s BMW. With the trial expected to drag into March of this year, we can only hope that the issues are finally put to rest in a reasonable manner. As we should look for justice for the lover Jahseh Onfroy, rather than the violence of XXXTentacion. 

By Luke Birch