When did Julio Foolio die? The late Florida rapper returns to headlines as his murder trial officially opens

Julio Foolio's demise made headlines once again after his murder trial kicked off this week.

WFLA has reported that prosecutors have accused 22-year-old Alicia Andrews of executing a “hellish onslaught” that claimed the life of the Jacksonville rapper, legally known as Charles Jones, in June 2024.

In their opening statements, they reportedly alleged that Andrews was in Tampa the night Julio Foolio died, after she and other co-defendants who traveled from Jacksonville.

“She’s sending that on Friday night — ‘Hey, could I book an Airbnb in Tampa?’” prosecutors told jurors, referencing messages linked to a lethal plan. “Their cell phones are tracking, hitting towers as they travel in unison all the way down I-75 heading directly into Tampa,” prosecutors said.

Everything we know about Julio Foolio's slaying:

WFLA has reported that, hours before Julio Foolio died, Andrews’ phone was allegedly located near the hotel where the rapper was slain by four other men. In addressing the jurors, the prosecutors said of the events of that night:

“They moved rapidly into their pre-planned positions, into their firing locations, and then they immediately unleashed a hellish onslaught, a precisely coordinated violence of action, sending a barrage, a wall of hot lead crashing into the only barriers between Charles Jones living and Charles Jones dying.”

All Hip Hop has reported that jury selection kicked off earlier this week, with Andrews being one of five accused of killing the rapper last summer. Per the outlet, detectives claim Andrews and her boyfriend, Isaiah Chance, served as lookouts.

“The phone data shows that it was tracked from Jacksonville to Tampa,” Tampa Police detective Juan Ramos testified, Fox 13 reported. “There were no other stops — indicating that they were in Tampa for nothing other than tracking and killing the victim.”

Andrews is reportedly charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder alongside Chance, Rashad Murphy, 31, Davion Murphy, 28, and Seasn Gathright, 20. She is the only one not facing the death penalty.

Defense attorneys reportedly pushed back on the claims by noting that the messages don't prove intent to murder Julio Foolio, adding that Andrews was simply in town to spend time with her boyfriend. Life Malcolm, one of Andrews' lawyers, contended she had no idea about the murder plot:

"There was no evidence whatsoever that Alicia Andrews killed Charles Jones," Malcolm said. "No evidence whatsoever that Alicia Andrews wanted Charles Jones dead. No evidence whatsoever that Alicia Andrews did anything to help that group of men kill Charles Jones. You are not here to deliver a verdict. You are here to right a wrong."

He continued,

“Just because she was there around a group of guys who had bad stuff on their mind, doesn’t mean that she had bad stuff on her mind,” Malcolm said. “She was here for a trip with her boyfriend. That’s it and that’s all.”

The outlet has further reported that Julio Foolio's murder is linked to a long-time feud between the infamous Jacksonville gangs KTA (Kill Them All) and ATK (Aces Top Killers), the latter of which the rapper's killers allegedly belonged to.

The Tampa Bay Times has reported that Andrews' trial is unfolding separately from the rest of the men, three of whom will be appearing before a jury together in 2026. Should she be found guilty, she is looking at a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.

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