A judge in the ongoing trial into the murder of Florida rapper XXXTentacion has granted a motion asking the mother of the late rapper to disclose the financials from the rapper’s estate that she benefits from.
Defendants Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, and Trayvon Newsome asked the court to order that XXX’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, share how much money she received after her son’s death.
At a hearing on Jan. 9, Judge Micheal Usan granted the motion despite protests from Bernard’s attorney Robert H. Trachman. The attorney argued that the motion should not be granted as its probative value was “irrelevant” and that information about the rapper’s earnings after death is “highly confidential.”
“For the reasons set forth, below defendant has no entitlement to the discovery he seeks concerning the assets of Ms. Bernard because the discovery requested by the defendant is not relevant to any matters pending before this court,” the application by Trachman read.
The judge, however, allowed the motion. In the meantime, jury selection was scheduled to begin on Wednesday (Jan. 11) for the three defendants. The fourth defendant, Robert Allen, had taken a plea deal last year with conditions that he would take the stand for the prosecution against Boatwright, Williams, and Newsome.
Allen had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. His sentence date is, however, deferred.
The latest motion by the defendants has added to the growing speculation about their possible defense. One of those includes the attorney for Dedrick Williams supplying the court with a possible witness list that names several big-name hip-hop artists. Among those named are Drake, Quavo, 6ix9ine, Joe Budden, and others whom the rapper had had beef with during his career and up to the time of his death.
