Drake

UPDATE: Drake Files Motion To Overrule Deposition Subpoena In XXXTentacion’s Murder Trial

Drake is looking to get out of getting deposed and is lawyering up to get out of the deposition interview in the XXXTentacion murder trial, per reports.

Defense Attorney For One Of The Accused XXX Killers Persuades Judge To Call Drake As A Witness

Defense attorney Mauricio Padilla – who represents one of three defendants charged with killing XXX – managed to successfully convince the presiding judge to call Drake as a witness in the case.

The murder trial for the accused killers Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright, Robert Allen, Trayvon Newsome began last week.

Padilla, who represents Dedrick Williams, had sent Drake a Zoom link for the deposition without having it sealed, meaning Drake’s security could be compromised due to his status as an international star, the outlet reports.

A few days later, the court documents claim Padilla filed a notice with the court, but failed to include details on how the Zoom interview with Drake would be conducted, causing Drake’s legal team to determine the subpoena to be procedurally defective.

Drake’s motion also states his name never appeared in any of the investigative files, meaning there was nothing to indicate he has any relevant information regarding XXX’s murder.

Rapper Once Posted That Drake Would Be To Blame If He Ever Ended Up Dead

The two artists had been feuding at the time of latter’s death, spurring speculation that Drake hired them to kill his rap rival.

And casting more suspicion is a the fact that XXX, real name Jahseh Onfroy, stated on social media in Feb. 2018 that if he ever ended up dead, Drake would be the reason behind it.

Onfroy was killed just months after that post in June 2018.

XXXTentacion performs during the second day of the Rolling Loud Festival in downtown Miami on Saturday, May 6, 2017. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi [Drake’s Instagram handle]. I’m snitching right now.” Onfroy posted before deleting it, along with a few other incendiary posts.

However, he later retracted that bold statement and claimed his accounts were “hacked.”

Last week, Robert Allen, who turned state’s witness, told the court that the group had not been hired by anyone to kill XXXTentacion, after one of their defense attorneys tried to claim Drake had hired them to kill XXX, The Shade Room reported earlier this week.

Drake Vs. XXXTentacion: A Brief History Of Their Beef

Drake released “KMT” in March 2017. Onfroy “instantly believed Drake stole his song,” according to the filing.

Shooting suspects Trayvon Newsome, left, and Michael Boatwright enter the courtroom for opening statements in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“The cadence of the rap style and rhythm of the song is by all standards extremely similar and have caused many to believe that Graham did in fact steal important aspects of the song from Onfroy.”

And when Onfroy was released from jail, he attempted to escalate the beef by trolling Drake on social media.

Meanwhile, prosecutors had argued that the shooting was the result of a robbery gone wrong, and similarly discredited any claims linking Drake to the fatal shooting.

The emerging rapper, born Jahseh Onfroy, 20, was killed during a robbery outside of Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach in 2018.

A rep for Drake declined to comment, the outlet reports.

Matthew McNulty