Drake was re-involved in the XXXTentacion murder case after another appeal

Drake was again linked to the 2018 murder of rapper XXXTentacion after Dedrick Williams, one of the men convicted in the case, named the rapper as a possible suspect in a new appeal filed in November.

Williams is one of three defendants accused of robbing and shooting XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy.

The new appeal, filed by Williams’ defense attorney Mauricio Padilla, was discussed in a Nov. 30 interview with Law&Crime Network. Padilla referenced an Instagram post from XXXTentacion shortly before his death that allegedly stated that if he were killed, he would be “Champagne Papi” – Drake’s popular Instagram handle. Padilla paraphrased the post: “Imagine if the dead guy said before he died, ‘If anyone kills me it’s going to be Champagne Papi,'” suggesting that Drake may have been involved.

Padilla further explained that XXXTentacion had a history of public feuds, not only with Drake, but also with several other rappers associated with Drake’s OVO label. The defense attorney emphasized that several witnesses in his client’s defense, including other rappers, could testify to the tensions between the two men.

XXXTentacion, 20, was shot and killed outside a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida on June 18, 2018. Williams, Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery. The robbery, in which $50,000 in cash was stolen, was caught on CCTV and presented as evidence in court. In March 2023, all three men were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

Padilla also referenced a 2018 conversation between DJ Akademiks and XXXTentacion, in which Akademiks allegedly warned Onfroy about his ongoing feud with Drake. According to Padilla, Akademiks warned Onfroy that while he wasn’t a “gangster,” he could provoke a dangerous reaction from Drake. This, Padilla argued, added context to the rapper’s statements about Drake in his now-deleted Instagram post.

Onfroy had written: “If anyone is trying to kill me it’s @champagnepapi. I’m betraying RN.” Padilla claims Onfroy deleted the post and later claimed his account was hacked. Padilla suspected that this post could hint at Drake’s involvement in the rapper’s murder.

Additionally, Padilla mentioned XXXTentacion’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, who allegedly knew about the feud between her son and Drake. Padilla referred to legal documents in which Bernard had pointed out this conflict.

Drake had previously been subpoenaed to testify in the case and was scheduled to appear for a deposition via Zoom in February 2023. However, he didn’t show up. Padilla requested that the court issue an order compelling Drake to testify, stating that without such an order it was unlikely that the rapper would cooperate. “This is one of the biggest celebrities in the world,” Padilla said. “Without an order from this court, we all know that I will never be able to take his statement.”

The appeal has put Drake back in the spotlight of the case and renewed questions about his involvement. However, it remains uncertain whether the court will take this new information into account. Currently, the three men convicted of XXXTentacion’s murder remain in prison and are serving life sentences.