Isaiah Chance: Julio Foolio Murder Trial, Verdict, and Life Sentence

Isaiah Chance is a 23-year-old Jacksonville man who was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the June 2024 killing of rapper Charles Jones, known as Julio Foolio. A Hillsborough County jury found Chance guilty on May 15, 2026, and on June 22, 2026, Judge Michelle Sisco sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder, plus a consecutive life sentence for the conspiracy. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty; the jury recommended life.¹

His Role in the Killing

Chance did not pull a trigger. Prosecutors described him as the tracker. According to the state, he and his then-girlfriend Alicia Andrews rode in a silver Chevrolet Cruze, following Jones from nightclub to nightclub through the night of June 22, 2024, and relaying his location by phone to a three-man assault team traveling in a black Chevrolet Impala.² Jones had been publicly posting his Tampa birthday itinerary on Instagram for days, and prosecutors said the defendants traveled from Jacksonville to Tampa specifically to find and kill him.³

At roughly 4:38 a.m. on June 23, 2024, three masked gunmen exited the Impala outside a Holiday Inn near the University of South Florida and opened fire with a handgun and two rifles. Jones was killed. Three other people were wounded but survived.⁴ Prosecutors said Chance coordinated the movements that put Jones in that parking lot, using Andrews’s phone to FaceTime the shooters as the two vehicles converged.³

Why He Was Involved

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office identified Chance as a documented member of Ace’s Top Killers, or ATK, one of two allied Jacksonville gangs, along with 1200, that had been at war with Jones’s 6 Block gang for roughly a decade. Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said the conflict had produced “dozens of murders by and against both sides” before the Tampa ambush.⁵

Prosecutors framed the killing as retaliation fueled by social media taunts and drill rap videos in which members of both sides mocked rivals who had died. One piece of trial evidence was a recorded Twitter Spaces argument between Jones and Chance that the state used to illustrate the personal hostility between the two men.⁶

The Evidence Against Him at Trial

The state’s case against Chance was built on digital and surveillance evidence rather than physical evidence tying him to a weapon. Hotel cameras and Tesla Sentry Mode recordings were used to map the movements of the tracking car and the shooters’ car through the night. Text messages between the defendants were introduced to show planning and role assignment, and cell tower data placed the group’s phones along the route.⁷

Forensic experts from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement testified that the 31 shell casings and projectile fragments recovered at the scene were consistent with three shooters using weapons from two vehicles.⁸ The Twitter Spaces recording placed Chance personally in the feud with Jones. And prosecutors used Andrews’s phone records to show communication with the shooters during the pursuit.³

His Defense

Chance’s attorneys argued the state had no “solid evidence” of his involvement and was relying on “assumptions rather than clear evidence.” They pointed out that no weapons and no clothing were forensically linked to him, that no witness visually identified him at the scene, and that he had no gang-related tattoos. During opening statements, Chance’s attorney directed blame at co-defendant Rashad Murphy as the person responsible for the killing. The defense also challenged the state’s use of rap lyrics and social media posts, arguing those were made for “clout” and were not confessions or proof of a plot.⁶

The jury rejected those arguments and convicted him on both counts.

Mitigation: Why the Jury Chose Life Over Death

During the penalty phase, Chance’s family and a defense expert testified in an effort to spare him from execution. His father, Isaiah Chance Sr., described him as quiet, protective of his family, kind, and generous, and said his son’s life still held value. His mother, Victoria Gray, called him caring and reserved. His grandmother, Elizabeth Jordan, testified that he did not speak until he was four or five years old.⁶

Psychologist Dr. Tracy Lyn Hartig testified that Chance reads at a fifth-grade level, performs math at a third-grade level, and has an IQ of 71. She described him as “naive in a social sense,” said he had dealt with ADHD since childhood, and said he tends to seek approval to fit in. An associate of his father testified that Chance had spoken of becoming a Merchant Marine to provide for his family.⁶ The jury recommended life without parole.

Sentencing and What He Said in Court

On June 22, 2026, Judge Michelle Sisco imposed a life sentence without parole on the murder count and a consecutive life sentence on the conspiracy count. Sisco called the case the “most intricate” she had handled in 24 years on the bench.⁹

Before the sentence came down, Chance addressed the courtroom and spoke directly to young people in Jacksonville. “To my city, man, it ain’t worth it, boy. Like, me being a rapper from my city and Foolio being a rapper from our city, it ain’t worth it. The dissing, the beefing, the shooting, like, for what?” He said he had been 21 when he was arrested facing the death penalty, with no prior record beyond traffic tickets. “That’s how quick life can change,” he said.¹⁰

His Girlfriend’s Separate Case

Alicia Andrews, who prosecutors said rode with Chance in the tracking car, was tried separately in October 2025. A jury acquitted her of conspiracy to commit murder and convicted her of the lesser charge of manslaughter rather than first-degree murder.¹¹ Judge Kimberly Fernandez sentenced her to 15 years in prison on May 22, 2026.¹² Andrews testified that her relationship with Chance was “controlling and abusive,” alleging he had beaten her on at least one occasion and controlled her appearance and social media. She said she did not know about a murder plot and had joined the Tampa trip hoping to reconcile with him. She admitted to deleting text conversations with him after the shooting, and the two continued to communicate after their arrests through three-way calls arranged by Chance’s mother.³

1
News4Jax. Convicted Killers of Jacksonville Rapper Julio Foolio Give Advice to Youth at Sentencing
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City of Tampa. Three Arrested, Two Wanted in Connection to Murder of Charles Jones aka Julio Foolio
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Court TV. FL v. Alicia Andrews: Rapper Ambush Murder Trial
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Fox 13 News. Timeline: Julio Foolio Deadly Shooting in Tampa
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Fox 5 DC. Timeline: Julio Foolio Deadly Shooting in Tampa
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Court TV. FL v. Isaiah Chance, Sean Gathright et al.: Julio Foolio Murder Trial
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News4Jax. Closing Arguments Begin in Trial of 4 Men Accused in Murder of Jacksonville Rapper Julio Foolio
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News4Jax. Jury Recommends Life Sentence Without Parole for 4 Men Guilty in Killing of Jacksonville Rapper Julio Foolio
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Court TV. Killers Share Advice for Gen Z at Sentencing for Rapper’s Murder
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Complex. Julio Foolio Murder Sentencing: Isaiah Chance Life Sentence
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Fox 13 News. Julio Foolio Murder: Tampa Jury Reaches Verdict in Trial Against Alicia Andrews
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Court TV. Alicia Andrews Sentenced in Murder of Julio Foolio