Dedrick Williams, a 22-year-old resident of Pompano Beach, Florida, has been arrested in connection with the murder of famed rapper XXXTentacion. Williams was arrested by the Broward County Sheriff's Office around 7 p.m. Wednesday, two days after XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was fatally shot outside of a motorcycle dealer in Deerfield Beach.
A judge has ordered Williams be imprisoned without bond on a first-degree murder charge according to WPLG Local News.
Williams was being charged with murder without premeditation, violation of probation and driving without a valid license. Police reportedly believed the murder to be part of an unplanned robbery, as a bag was stolen from Onfroy's BMW at the time of the shooting. The male perpetrator was allegedly wearing a red mask at the time of the shooting and was accompanied by another male.
The Miami Herald reported that Williams has previously been convicted on four counts of grand theft auto. He was serving a five-year probation at the time of his arrest.
Onfroy's mother, at a vigil Wednesday night in Florida, announced that she'd been given confirmation of the arrest. "They arrested him. That means they got him," she can be heard saying in a Snapchat video.
Onfroy was a rising rapper, grieved by fellow musicians such as Kanye West. Since his death, his song "SAD!" has beat Spotify's one-day streaming record, a title previously held by Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do."
Rapper Big Sean said on Twitter once news of the death spread that he was mourning Onfroy even though they weren't friends. "I feel like we only got to see a glimpse of his artistry," Big Sean said. "I didn't know him personally but I respect how passionate he was about his music and message. Nobody deserves this kind of ending. gone too soon, damn! RIP."
At the time of his death, Onfroy was awaiting trial for allegedly beating his pregnant girlfriend. His pending charges were false imprisonment, aggravated battery of a pregnant woman and domestic battery by strangulation.
His September 2017 music video for the hit song "Look at Me" showed Onfroy lynching a young white boy. "Are you willing to risk your child's future due to your own bigotry? The choice is yours, but your child will not stand for the hate. This generation will be loved, nurtured, heard and understood," the rapper said in the video.
This story has been updated to reflect new information about Williams' criminal record and murder charge.
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