Yes, XXXTentacion did go to jail, more than once. Between 2013 and 2017, Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy was locked up as a juvenile on a gun charge, spent close to six months in a Florida jail on an armed home invasion case, and was jailed again on witness tampering allegations tied to a domestic violence prosecution. When he was shot and killed in June 2018 at age 20, he was awaiting trial on 15 felony counts.
Juvenile Detention on a Gun Charge
Onfroy’s first known time in custody came as a teenager. He was sent to a youth detention center on gun possession charges and held for roughly nine months between 2013 and 2014.1New York Daily News. The Short, Controversial Life of Rapper XXXTentacion
Nearly Six Months in Jail for Armed Home Invasion
In November 2015, Onfroy took part in an armed home invasion that also involved robbery and aggravated battery with a firearm. He was arrested in August 2016 and spent nearly six months in jail on those charges.2People. XXXTentacion Back in Jail on 7 New Felony Charges
During the week of March 27, 2017, he entered a no-contest plea in Broward County. The judge withheld a formal conviction and placed him on six years of probation.3Pitchfork. XXXTentacion Is Out of Jail for Now
The October 2016 Domestic Violence Arrest
On October 8, 2016, Onfroy was arrested in Miami-Dade County on four charges: aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering. The charges came from allegations by his then-girlfriend, Geneva Ayala, who described a pattern of abuse over several months.4Pitchfork. XXXTentacion’s Reported Victim Details Grim Pattern of Abuse in Testimony
He pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations, saying Ayala had been attacked by someone else and was not pregnant.4Pitchfork. XXXTentacion’s Reported Victim Details Grim Pattern of Abuse in Testimony After his arrest he was held at the Metro West Detention Center outside Miami before his release. The case was still pending when he died.
Back in Jail on Witness Tampering in December 2017
On December 15, 2017, a Miami-Dade County judge ordered Onfroy jailed without bail, ruling he had violated the conditions of his bond from the 2016 domestic violence case. Prosecutors filed seven new felony counts of witness tampering and witness harassment, alleging he may have forced Ayala into signing a legal document intended to get the domestic abuse case dropped.5Billboard. XXXTentacion Jailed on New Felony Charges
Three days later, on December 18, prosecutors added eight more felony counts, bringing the new total to 15 first-degree and second-degree felonies.6Yahoo Entertainment. XXXTentacion Case Timeline On December 20, 2017, he was released to 60 days of strict house arrest. The terms let him visit a local recording studio for contractual work but barred any contact with victims or witnesses.7Billboard. XXXTentacion Released to House Arrest
On March 21, 2018, a Florida judge granted his request to come off house arrest so he could tour behind his album. He remained subject to monthly drug and alcohol testing and had to submit travel itineraries to his parole officer. His attorney, David Bogenschutz, called the ruling “the first steps towards complete freedom.”8XXL. XXXTentacion Off House Arrest to Tour
Awaiting Trial When He Was Killed
By June 2018, Onfroy was living at his home in Parkland, Florida while awaiting trial. He still faced the 15 witness tampering and harassment counts along with the four original charges from October 2016: aggravated battery of a pregnant victim, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering.9Miami New Times. A Timeline of Rapper XXXTentacion’s Abuse Allegations His attorney later said the defense had been “in the process of reaching a resolution” when he died.10People. Donations Pouring In for XXXTentacion Ex-Girlfriend After His Death
On June 18, 2018, he was shot and killed during a robbery outside Riva Motorsports in Fort Lauderdale.11NPR. XXXTentacion Murder Trial Conviction After his death, a judge discharged all of the pending criminal charges against him. That dismissal was solely a consequence of his death and is not the same as an acquittal or a finding of not guilty.12Refinery29. XXXTentacion Death Charges Discharged