‘I am sending you this letter to save my life.’ XXXTentacion murder suspect pleads for release.

A suspect in the XXXTentacion murder case wants to be released from jail over fears of contracting the novel coronavirus.

Dedrick Williams pleaded for bond and house arrest in a letter to Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan filed last Tuesday. Citing a deputy’s alleged spread of the virus to a fellow inmate and the jail’s lack of testing, the 24-year-old said he felt unsafe in Broward’s Main Jail due to his weak immune system.

“I am sending you this letter to save my life,” Williams wrote.

Williams, who pleaded not guilty to murdering the 20-year-old artist outside a Deerfield Beach motorcycle and boat shop in 2018, went on to use his model behavior as cause for release.

“I’ve been here 21 months and haven’t been in any trouble,” Williams continued. “Since the age of 17 I’ve had you as a judge. I am now 24. Never have I missed court or failed a drug test.”

Court documents show the judge has yet to respond.

Williams, along with Michael Boatwright, Robert Allen and Trayvon Newsome, was indicted in July 2018 on first-degree murder and armed robbery charges. This arrest violated his probation for a previous grand theft auto conviction, according to arrest records.

This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 3:19 PM.

C. Isaiah Smalls II

Miami Herald

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C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.