Attorneys representing Canadian rapper Drake were in a South Florida courtroom Monday arguing the "One Dance" singer should not be required to give a deposition in the 2018 murder trial of XXXTentacion, citing an "unreasonable and oppressive” burden on Drake.
Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, was among a group of hip hop stars who were listed as potential defense witnesses for the fatal shooting of XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, on June 18, 2018.
An attorney for Dedrick Williams, one of the defendants accused in the killing of XXXTentacion, had tried to get Drake to appear at a deposition pre-trial, something the "Nice for What" rapper avoided. Defense attorney Mauricio Padilla cited an Instagram post from XXXTentacion in which he claimed, "If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi [Drake]. I’m snitching RN.” However, the post was quickly deleted and XXXTentacion later retracted that, claiming his account had been hacked.
During opening statements in the trial, Williams' attorney posed a theory that the shooting could have been fueled by a feud between XXXTentacion and Drake, and criticized law enforcement for not investigating that possibility. Prosecutors called the tactic a "Hail Mary" attempt at creating a reasonable double about who was behind the murder.
“At this point, I think you have a corroborating witness who corroborates that Mr. Graham has nothing to do with this case," said Brad Cohen, one of Drake's attorneys. "Mr. Graham is not listed in any report, Mr. Graham, I don’t believe, has been discussed whatsoever in this case to my knowledge other than rumor and innuendo."
The judge ruled that Drake can be deposed, but the defense has to submit another subpoena to do so.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Week two of the trial is underway for three men accused of fatally shooting XXXTentacion, inside his BMW sports car, which had been blocked by an SUV as he pulled out of the Riva Motorsports' parking lot near Fort Lauderdale.
Entertainment News
Michael Boatwright, 28, is accused of being the shooter, while his friend, Trayon Newsome, 24, is accused of being the other gunman. Williams, 26, is accused of being the driver.
They could all receive life sentences if convicted of first-degree murder. A fourth man who prosecutors say was in the SUV, 26-year-old Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder and testified against his former friends.
