XXXTentacion murder suspect Robert Allen arrested

20-year-old rising young star was fatally shot as he was leaving a motorcycle dealership in Florida

Maya Oppenheim
Thursday 26 July 2018 12:38 BST
XXXTentacion first found fame via uploading songs to online audio distribution platform SoundCloud
XXXTentacion first found fame via uploading songs to online audio distribution platform SoundCloud

A suspect has been arrested over the murder of the rapper XXXTentacion who was shot dead in Florida last month.

The 20–year–old rising young star – whose real name was Jaseh Onfroy – was fatally shot as he was leaving a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach last month.

The search for an accused killer of the South Florida underground rapper ended in rural Georgia – around seven hours drive from the scene of the murder.

Dodge County sheriff’s deputies placed Robert Allen, of Fort Lauderdale, in custody in the city of Eastman after members of the US Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested him on Wednesday, according to local newspaper The Macon Telegraph.

“They got some information he was up in Eastman, possibly staying with his sister,” Deputy US Marshal John Edgar said.

Mr Allen – who is also known as “Big Rob” and “Fat Boy” – was captured on surveillance video minutes before XXXTentacion was robbed of $50,000 (£38,000) in cash in a Louis Vuitton bag and shot in June.

Last week, a grand jury indicted Dedrick Williams, 22, Michael Boatwright, 22, Trayvon Newsome, 20, and Robert Allen, 22 on first–degree murder and armed robbery charges, court records showed.

They are accused of killing the musician at Deerfield Beach’s Riva Motorsports where he was looking at motorbikes after stopping at the bank to pick up the cash in stacks of $100 notes.

XXXTentacion’s musical career was dominated by controversy. He was facing domestic violence charges against his pregnant girlfriend – to which he had pleaded not guilty.

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In October 2016, XXXTentacion was arrested and later charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering. He was facing 15 charges at the time of his death.

He was sent to a youth detention centre for gun possession charges at the age of 16. In 2016, he was arrested and charged with robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

The emerging rapper, who first found fame via uploading songs to online audio distribution platform SoundCloud, garnered a loyal following due to his emotional lyrics that addressed suicidal thoughts and experiences with depression.

In March, he secured a number one album in the US with his second release "?" and had a top 10 hit with "Sad!" in the same month.

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