TAMPA, Fla. — Charles Jones, known by his stage name Julio Foolio, was shot and killed in June 2024 while celebrating his 26th birthday in Tampa. Opening statements of his accused killers began Wednesday.
Sean Gathright, Rashad Murphy, Davion Murphy and Isaiah Chance are facing first-degree murder charges.
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During opening statements, the prosecution argued that the four defendants were driven by “collective evil intentions” to eliminate Jones just hours after he celebrated his 26th birthday.
“With everyone’s collective evil intentions directed into one purpose, directed into one common goal, the premeditative murder of Charles Jones,” the lead prosecutor told the court.
The state spent several hours presenting a digital breadcrumb trail. Prosecutors allege that cell phone records place the men in Tampa at the time of the killing. Furthermore, surveillance footage from the hotel and a nearby Tesla reportedly captured the moment the rapper was gunned down in a hail of gunfire.
Prosecutors informed the jury that this was not the first attempt on Jones’ life, citing an incident nine months prior where attackers with high-powered rifles shot up his car.
“We will go back in years and I’m going to walk you through a gang war that has been occurring in the city of Jacksonville,” the prosecution stated, “and that in this case traveled here and spilled in our streets.”
To illustrate the alleged motive, the state pointed to a music video titled “Foolio Dead,” released by a rival gang just days after the shooting. Prosecutors contend the defendants planned the hit at least two weeks in advance.
Defense attorneys for the four men struck back during their openings, arguing that the state’s case needs more concrete proof.
Lawyers for Isaiah Chance argued that the evidence would fail to show he took any specific action to assist in a murder, even if he was in the city.
“It needs more than association; it needs more than just traveling to a city,” the defense argued. “I believe the evidence will not show an act something that Isaiah did to assist this murder while having knowledge to assist this case.”
Similarly, the attorney for Rashad Murphy warned the jury not to be swayed by the provocative nature of the rap videos or the state’s narrative of a “gang war.”
“Those rap videos will not tell you I anticipate the evidence will show that there is not any indication that Rashad Murphy participated to kill Charles Jones or actually did so,” his defense stated.
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