Drake Will Not Be Deposed During XXXTentacion Murder Trial, Judge Rules
Written by djfrosty on February 15, 2023
Source: Mark Blinch / Getty
Last week, we reported that attorneys for Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams, three of the four men accused of robbing and murdering rap star XXXTentacion in 2018, suggested that Drake might have been largely responsible for the “Look at Me!” rapper’s killing.
The defendants’ attorneys floated the possibility that despite their clients being tied to the shooting through surveillance footage and cellphone spots, as well as the testimony of a fourth participant in the crime, Robert Allen, it was actually an obscure rap beef between Drake and XXXTentacion that ultimately resulted in the victim’s death. In fact, the attorneys named Drake, Joe Budden, The Migos and others as eyewitnesses to the crime, which they said was not committed by their clients.
This, of course, set Black Twitter into a frenzied debate about whether or not the “Hotline Bling” rapper was the killer this whole time.
But fans can rest assured that Drake will not be taking the rap for XXXtentacion’s murder, nor will he be required to appear at the trial at all. According to TMZ, Judge Michael A. Usan granted a motion by the Certified Loverboy to avoid taking part in a deposition he was previously ordered to appear for after attorney Mauricio Padilla, who represents Williams, requested his presence during the trial to answer questions.
Apparently, Usan agreed with Drake’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, who argued that Drake had no relevant information to offer about the case. TMZ noted that “Padilla could convince the judge there’s some other cause for Drake to be deposed, and get a new subpoena,” but that’s unlikely considering the fact that the trial has already started. (And there’s also the fact that a rap beef no one really paid attention to is hardly evidence that Champagne Papi was involved in a murder.)
Either way, the defense team maintains that their clients, who are all charged with first-degree murder, are the victims of lies told by Allen.