Drake, 6ix9ine, Joe Budden and more have been named as possible witnesses that can be called to the stand in the murder trial of XXXTENTACION.
The high-profile trial is set to begin in Broward County, Florida on January 9, with four men charged in the fatal June 2018 shooting of the “Look At Me!” rapper.
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X was involved in a number of of feuds during his meteoric rise to fame, with his brief clash with Drake fueling conspiracy theories that the OVO hitmaker was somehow involved in his death.
No evidence in the case has ever been presented linking Drake to the crime, but that hasn’t stopped one of the defendants’ lawyers from officially listing the Toronto native and a number of other high-profile Hip Hop figures as potential witnesses in the case, according to the Miami Herald.
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Mauricio Padilla — the defense attorney for Dedrick Williams, the suspected getaway driver — named Drake, 6ix9ine, Joe Budden, Quavo, Offset, Ski Mask the Slump God, Top5 and Tankhead666 as those he planned to subpoena. Fellow Migos member TakeOff, who was shot and killed last month, was also included on the list.
As listed defense witnesses, the rappers could potentially be compelled to testify at trial or give depositions about their knowledge of beefs involving XXXTENTACION. Prosecutors or attorneys for the rappers, however, could ask a judge to keep them out of the case, pointing to the lack of evidence linking them to the murder.
During a hearing to discuss the witnesses on Thursday (December 15), prosecutors took issue with the list, claiming the defense had failed to provide addresses or contact information, giving the state little time to depose the “international celebrities” before the trial begins.
“It is apparent from the deliberate, late disclosure of the defendant’s witnesses and comments made between the parties that [the] defendant intended to ‘surprise’ the state and create a trial by ambush,” prosecutor Pascale Achille argued.
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Padilla refuted the allegation, telling the judge that he could only file the list after long-delayed depositions had been conducted, including one with XXXTENACTION’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard. He also indicated that he still plans on listing Drake as a witness.
“They are high-profile people, and it’s not easy for me to subpoena. I don’t have numbers but it doesn’t mean I won’t be able to,” he said. “Trying to subpoena Drake is not easy — you need a drone.”
Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan ordered Padilla to provide a final witness list by Monday (December 19) naming those who seriously plans to call to the stand.
XXXTENTACION put Drake on blast in early 2017, accusing him of biting his “Look At Me!” flow on the More Life standout “KMT.” “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” X wrote in an Instagram post at the time, before later claiming his account was hacked.
XXXTENTACION (born Jahseh Onfroy) was shot and killed in an armed robbery outside of Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Florida on June 18, 2018. He was 20 years old.
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The two alleged gunmen, Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome, along with the driver were arrested on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery. A fourth conspirator, who was believed to be a passenger in the car at the time, was also arrested.
“From what I’ve seen in this case, it appears to be a crime of opportunity. There’s nothing to indicate this was a professional hit,” attorney Jim Lewis told the Miami Herald. “They were in that store to buy masks for a potential robbery outside, and the mark happened to be right there. It was very bad luck.”
