By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, MIAMI, Fl, Mon. June 25, 2018: Murdered Caribbean American Rapper XXXTentacion is set to be laid to rest in South Florida this week following a public memorial.
A public memorial with an open-casket viewing will be held for the 20-year-old rapper, whose real name is Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, from noon to 6 p.m., tomorrow, Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at the BB&T Center at 2555 NW 136 Ave., in Sunrise, FL.
The funeral announcement comes as Dedrick Devonshay Williams, 22, who is accused of killing the rapper in June 18, 2018, appeared in court on another charge of probation violation in a car theft case. Prosecutors also charged him with first-degree murder.
But Williams on Monday claimed he had nothing to do the death of XXXTentacion who was shot dead in his BMW after he left the Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach.
Detective John Curcio, however, said he believes Williams, a tattoo artist, wore a distinctive pair of bright orange sandals and purchased a red mask.
Curcio believes Williams used an SUV to block Onfroy from being able to drive away in his electric BMW, and he and an accomplice were both armed when they confronted Onfroy on June 18th.
Deputies arrested Williams in Pompano Beach last Wednesday. They are still searching for Williams’ alleged accomplice.
Onfroy, 20, was born in Plantation and raised in Lauderhill, Florida to Jamaican parents Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy and Cleopatra Bernard. He has three siblings with one being half shared paternally. Onfroy was mainly raised by his grandmother, Collette Jones in Pompano Beach, Florida and Lauderhill, Florida.
The young rapper rose to fame while posting raps online from his bedroom on the audio distribution platform SoundCloud in June 2013. Onfroy released his debut album, 17, on August 25, 2017. This March, he released his second album. His singles “Sad!” and “Changes” recently peaked at 7 and 37, respectively the Billboard Hot 100.
His interest in music initially started after his aunt persuaded him to begin attending school choir and later church choir. In 2013 he launched his musical career, inspired by both rock and rap.
XXXTenatcion has, however, made headlines not only for his music successes but also for a string of legal problems stemming from a 2016 domestic violence arrest.
The rapper, accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend, was slapped with 15 new felony charges in December, including witness tampering and witness harassment.
Prosecutors reportedly believe the rapper – by way of recorded calls he made in jail – attempted to coerce his girlfriend into dropping her case against him.
He served a brief stint in jail in December before he was released on house arrest. A judge in March granted his request to be freed from house arrest in order to take his music on tour.
The rapper’s music also made waves last month after Spotify announced it would scrub his tracks from its platform, as his alleged behavior had violated codes of conduct.
The move drew backlash, and Spotify later reversed its decision.
XXXTentacion’s mother has hinted the slain rapper had a baby on the way before he was killed.
