Foolio’s friends gave tearful testimony on the first day of his 2024 murder trial.
Opening statements and testimony began on Wednesday (October 22) in the trial of Alicia Andrews, one of five people accused of killing Foolio. The first day of the trial included testimony from Foolio’s friend Mr Norris, who was in the car when Foolio was shot. Norris also suffered a gunshot wound during the incident.
Norris, who did not appear on the live broadcast of the trial, was visibly emotional from the start of his testimony, crying in the witness box. Norris recalled the night he and Forio were shot while sitting in the rapper’s Dodge Charger in front of the Holiday Inn Hotel in Tampa, Florida.
Norris said he was sleeping in the back seat when he was awakened by what he initially thought was a car accident.
“The first thing I saw was Foolio’s display,” Norris said. “I thought it was a car accident until I looked up and saw the bullet holes. And then I saw [Xavier] Covered in blood and yelling. “
Norris said they entered the hotel and tried to get help. That’s when he realized he’d been shot, Xavier shot in the head.
When Norris was shown photos of the crime scene, he began to break down, leading the judge to remove the jury from the courtroom to give Norris time to calm down.
Alicia Andrews faces charges of premeditated first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Forio’s murder. Prosecutors say she and her boyfriend, Isaiah Chance, followed Foolio around Tampa and gave his location to the men accused of shooting the rapper: Sean Gathright, Rashad Murphy and Davion Murphy. The other four suspects are scheduled to stand trial next spring.
Foolio was celebrating his 26th birthday on June 23, 2024, when he was shot to death in a Holiday Inn parking lot. Authorities said the killing was part of an ongoing gang war in Jacksonville.
