XXXTentacion Murder Suspect’s Public Defender Withdraws From Case
The public defender assigned to represent Michael Boatwright, the suspected gunman in XXXTentacion's murder, has withdrawn from his case, according to court documents reviewed by XXL.
Boatwright, 22, stands accused of first-degree murder and armed robbery. He is one of four suspects charged in connection to the rapper born Jahseh Onfroy's fatal shooting in Deerfield Beach, Fla. on June 18. A grand jury indictment names Boatwright as the man who discharged the pistol that killed Onfroy.
His attorney's withdrawal is mostly a formality. It is a conflict of interest for a public defender to represent multiple co-defendants in the same case, and the office already represents Boatwright's co-defendant Dedrick Williams, the suspected driver and first suspect taken into custody. Boatwright will be assigned a conflict defender instead.
The public defender's office also motioned on Monday (July 30) to withdraw as the attorney for Robert Allen, the third suspect taken into custody, for the same reason. Allen's next court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday (Aug. 1).
Williams, Boatwright and Allen are currently being held in jail without bail. Trayvon Newsome, the fourth suspect named in the grand jury indictment, remains at large and wanted by authorities.
Read the court documents granting the public defender's office approval to withdraw as Boatwright's attorney, and requesting approval to withdraw as Allen's attorney, below.
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