Two months after Foolio was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Tampa, Fla., authorities have arrested four of the five suspects involved in the shooting. According to prosecutors, Foolio, also known as Julio Foolio, was murdered as part of an ongoing gang war between Foolio’s 6 Block gang and the 1200 Out East and ATK gangs in his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla.
As police continue the search for the final suspect, the criminal cases for the other four suspects are moving forward in the courts. Three of the four suspects arrested have pleaded not guilty. Here are all the updates known in Foolio’s murder case so far.
Five suspects are alleged to be involved in the killing of Foolio, born Charles Andrew Jones III, on June 23, 2024. Facing murder charges are cousins Rashad and Davion Murphy, along with Sean Gathright, Isaiah Chance, and his girlfriend Alicia Andrews.
The Suspects:
- Isaiah Jermaine Chance, 21, is an alleged member of Jacksonville’s ATK gang, which prosecutors say stands for “Ace’s Top Killers” and is affiliated with rapper Yungeen Ace. Chance was arrested on July 29, 2024, and was charged with two counts of first-degree murder premeditated with a firearm connected to Foolio’s murder. He pleaded not guilty on Aug. 23.
- Alicia Latoya Andrews, 21, was arrested on July 29, 2024, and charged with two counts of first-degree murder premeditated with a firearm. Andrews also entered a not guilty plea on Aug. 23 according to documents obtained by XXL.
- Sean Andre Gathright, 18, was arrested on July 29, 2024, and charged with three counts of attempted murder in the first-degree premeditated with a firearm, two counts of murder in the first-degree premeditated with a firearm, and tampering with physical evidence. Tampa Bay, Fla. news outlet reports that Gathright has pleaded not guilty as well and XXL has reached out to his legal team for confirmation.
- Rashad Murphy, 30, was arrested on July 30, 2024, and was charged with three counts of attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm, one count of first-degree murder, and one count of first-degree murder conspiracy.
- Davion Murphy, 27, is still on the run at the time of this reporting. He faces three counts of attempted murder in the first degree, one count of first-degree murder, and one count of first-degree murder conspiracy.
Foolio’s Murder Timeline
Prosecutors reportedly claim in court documents that Isaiah Chance and his girlfriend, Alicia Andrews, allegedly served as lookouts as they closely monitored Foolio and his entourage visit various clubs in the Tampa Bay area. On the night of the shooting, Foolio was celebrating his 26th birthday. The other three suspects, Sean Gathright, Rashad, and Davion Murphy, were in another car trailing behind.
The Murder:
- On the night of the shooting, Foolio and his entourage party at Teasers Gentlemen’s Club in Tampa.
- On June 23, at 2:23 a.m., Chance and Andrews are seen on surveillance footage getting out of their car, a Chevrolet Cruze, and walking around the club. Chance is talking on his cell phone (according to prosecutors, Chance was talking to Gathright). Soon afterward, a Chevrolet Impala arrives with Gathright, Rashad, and Davion Murphy inside.
- Shortly before 3 a.m., Foolio and his crew leave Teasers and drive to an after-party at Truth 18 lounge in Tampa, which was advertised on social media. Foolio also streamed live from the location.
- Chance and Andrews pull up to Truth 18 in their car. Chance is talking on his cell phone.
- At 4 a.m., Foolio leaves Truth 18 in a black Dodge Charger with his entourage following him in a three-car convoy to a hotel. Chance and Andrews in The Cruze and Gathright, Rashad, and Davion Murphy in the Impala vehicles follow behind.
- At 4.30 a.m., the Impala enters the parking lot and drives around the hotel to avoid the victims’ line of sight. Three minutes later, the Cruze vehicle also arrives at the parking lot, passing by the parked Charger before executing a U-turn and driving past the car again before exiting the parking lot.
- One minute later, three men in hoodies and masks step out of the parked Impala and begin walking toward Foolio’s Dodge Charger. One person was carrying a pistol with an extended magazine, while the other two gunmen held assault-style rifles. The long guns had black mesh bags attached to them, designed to catch spent bullet shell casings after they were ejected from the weapon.
- The man with the pistol aimed it at the Charger’s windshield and fired more than 30 shots. The men with rifles started shooting at the Charger and another nearby car.
- In his Charger, Foolio accelerated forward, heading north through the parking lot while gunshots hit the vehicle. Afterward, the three gunmen retreated to their Impala and sped away.
Foolio was shot dead, while three people in the vehicle were wounded.
What Police Discovered
The Investigation:
- The Impala was registered to Gathright, while the Cruze belonged to a woman residing at an address associated with Rashad Murphy’s brother.
- Authorities found the Cruze vehicle at the home of one of Gathright’s relatives where they learned that he drove the car there on the day of the shooting and had been seen cleaning the inside of the car.
- Investigators searching Gathright’s home in Jacksonville discovered two 9mm bullet shell casings that police matched to the Foolio murder. However, the handgun has not been recovered.
- Detectives found nine spent rifle casings in Gathright’s vehicle during a traffic stop. The rifle casings matched two different shootings that occurred before Foolio’s death: a shooting last October that was reportedly an attempt to kill Foolio and a separate homicide in May.
- Rashad Murphy booked an Airbnb in Tampa before the shooting.
- Several days after the shooting, Rashad Murphy was arrested by deputies in Atlanta after fleeing a traffic stop and was charged with obstruction. The car he was driving in, a silver Chevrolet Cruze, matched the description of the vehicle involved in the shooting.
- On July 29, Rashad Murphy was arrested for murder following a standoff with Jacksonville deputies.
- Rashad Murphy is currently in custody in Jacksonville awaiting transfer to Tampa.
Court Appearances
- Three suspects—Isaiah Chance, Sean Gathright, and Alicia Andrews—will remain jailed until trial, according to the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit on Aug. 8. They have each pleaded not guilty.
Watch the arrests of the four suspects in Foolio’s murder below.
Watch Fox 35 Orlando Report: Three Arrested for Murder of Florida rapper Julio Foolio
Watch Rashad Murphy Getting Arrested by Authorities for Foolio’s Murder
Watch Sean Gathright, Isaiah Chance, and Alicia Andrews Being Taken Into Custody
See the Current Status of Every Murdered Rapper’s Case
XXL takes a look at the current status of the cases of hip-hop murders that have occurred over the past 35 years.
Credit: www.xxlmag.com
