Canadian rapper, Aubrey Graham, popularly known as Drake, has been ordered to appear for a deposition or in court in connection with the ongoing murder trial of rapper XXXTentacion (Jahseh Onfroy).
Prosecutors have never implicated Drake in Onfroy’s death, which occurred during a robbery gone wrong outside a motorcycle store in June 2018.
The theory that Drake was involved in Onfroy’s murder comes from defense attorney Mauricio Padilla, who represents one of the three suspects, Dedrick Williams.
Padilla has attempted to insert Drake into the trial as a potential alternate theory to the killing. He tried to subpoena Drake for a deposition at the end of January, but the rapper failed to appear.
As a result, Padilla petitioned the court for an “order to show cause,” which was granted by the judge on February 9, 2023. The order requires Drake to appear for a deposition on February 24, 2023, and if he fails to do so, he must appear in court on February 27, 2023, to explain why he should not be held in contempt.
Padilla has referenced the alleged feud between Drake and Onfroy in his opening arguments and court filing submitted in December 2022. The feud reportedly began in 2017 when a friend told Onfroy that Drake was interested in meeting him while he was in jail for allegedly abusing his pregnant girlfriend.
However, Drake never made contact, and Onfroy’s feelings towards him turned negative. The feud escalated when Onfroy was released from jail, and he made several provocative posts about Drake and his mother. The court filing also alleges that Drake has close ties to individuals with gang affiliations and that he has written lyrics that the defense believes relate to Onfroy’s death.
A deposition given by Onfroy’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, is also included in the court filing, in which she recalls the concerns she had about her son’s feuds with Drake and Migos. Despite these allegations, no official evidence has been provided to implicate Drake in Onfroy’s death.
A representative for Drake declined to comment, and a lawyer for the rapper did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Padilla also declined to comment.
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