The mother of rapper XXXTentacion and his baby mother both shared their gratitude at the guilty verdict handed down by a jury on Monday that found the three defendants criminally liable for the killing of the 20-year-old rapper in 2018.
Jenesis Sanchez shares her son Gekyume with XXXTentacion, but the rapper died months before she gave birth. Gekyume was born in 2019, and Sanchez carried on her pregnancy alone since the rapper was killed. On Monday, she spoke for the first time since the rapper was killed, noting that her family can now heal following the unanimous guilty verdict.
In an Instagram Story, she lamented the deep loss where her son would never meet his dad but said she ensured he knew all about him.
“After 5 long years you may finally rest in peace. Gekyume will never get to meet you earthside but it is my job as a mother to ensure I share those special memories with him,” she said in an Instagram Story.
“Jah was robbed of his life and Geky was robbed of his father. For this I will never truly have complete peace but justice being served today helps the healing process,” she added.
Sanchez also expressed gratitude to fans of the rapper, noting, “your positivity and prayers have carried me these last 5 years.”
The mother of XXXTentacion, Cleopatra Bernard, also reacted to the verdict. “You finally got justice Jah,” she captioned a photo of the late rapper.
Bernard, who was present in court every day since the jury started deliberating on March 8, shared a photo of her t-shirt paying to the rapper. “I made sure you were present in the room,” she wrote.
The three defendants- Diedrick Williams, Trayvon Newsome, and Michael Boatwright were found guilty by a 12-man jury that returned a unanimous verdict on Monday morning after deliberating for 12 days and 27 hours, one of the longest jury deliberations in Florida.
The jury found them guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery with a firearm. The jury also found Boatwright and Newsome to be the gunmen who robbed the rapper and Boatwright as the one who shot and killed him.
Those three convicted defendants, as well as the fourth defendant Robert Allen (who took a plea deal for a lesser sentence), will all be sentenced on April 6th.
Stefflon Don also defended Cleopatra Bernard from some fans posting negative comments towards her amid Monday’s conviction. “How dare anyone speak on someone who is mourning the loss of their child. This generation is sick and needs serious help,” Steff wrote. “Rest up Jah.”
