A 22-year-old Florida man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the killing of rapper XXXTentacion, the Broward Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.
Dedrick Williams was taken into custody on Wednesday, June 20, in Pompano, Florida.
Authorities booked Williams into the Broward County Main Jail. He was charged with three counts — first-degree murder, grand theft motor vehicle, and driving without a valid license, according to the sheriff’s office’s inmate booking website.
The murder charge was described as “murder dangerous depraved without premeditation.”
Read More: Rapper XXXTentacion Predicted His ‘Tragic Death’ in Instagram Video
Williams is currently being held without bail on the murder and grand theft charges. His bond is $25 for the driving without a license count.
He was on probation at the time of his arrest after a previous conviction for auto theft. He also had a temporary injunction filed against him for domestic violence in 2014.
The sheriff’s office posted details about his arrest and his booking photo on Twitter, revealing Williams had multiple tattoos on his face and neck.
XXXTentacion, who was born Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, died Monday after being fatally shot during an apparent robbery outside a motorcycle shop in Deerfield Beach.
Two armed men approached the 20-year-old performer as he sat in his black BMW i8, and at least one of them opened fire. The rapper was pronounced dead at a Fort Lauderdale-area hospital.
XXXTentacion was a rising star who had millions of streams on Spotify.
He rose to local stardom after his debut song “Look at Me” went viral on social media and on the audio platform SoundCloud, where it streamed nearly 100 million times since it was posted in 2015. The song reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Last year, the rapper reportedly signed a distribution deal worth $6 million. The agreement was between his own label, Bad Vibes Forever, and Capitol Music Group’s independent branch Caroline, Variety reported in 2017. The outlet noted the contract was for distribution only and the rapper was not signed directly to a Capitol label.
XXXTentacion’s latest album, entitled “?” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 earlier this year. The single ‘Sad!’ reached number seven on the Hot 100 chart and was picking up airplay, according to Billboard.
Despite his success, the rapper was awaiting trial for a 2016 domestic-abuse case after allegedly beating and threatening to kill his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
He was charged with aggravated battery against a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering. The rapper denied the allegations.
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