Before learning their sentences, the defendants urged young people to turn away from violence and make changes before facing the same consequences.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Four men convicted in the 2024 killing of Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio were sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole, closing a closely watched case prosecutors linked to an ongoing gang feud.
Isaiah Chance, Sean Gathright, Davion Murphy and Rashad Murphy each received life sentences in Hillsborough County for their roles in the fatal shooting of Foolio, whose legal name was Charles Jones. Prosecutors said Jones was specifically targeted amid a yearslong conflict between rival groups in Jacksonville.
Jones was killed outside a Tampa hotel while he was celebrating his 26th birthday.
Ahead of sentencing, three of the defendants spoke in court, directing their remarks to younger people and warning them about the lasting consequences of street violence.
“I want to say something to Jacksonville, to my city. It ain’t worth it,” Chance said. “The dissing, the beefing, the shooting, for what? When you’re sitting in your cell alone, cold. It’s lonely as hell in there. Everybody leave you, nobody here for you.”
Davion Murphy delivered a similar message, encouraging young people to choose a different path.
“I just want to say to the Gen Z generation, change your life and do something productive with your life,” Murphy said. “Because in this predicament, it ain’t worth it.”
Gathright reflected on missed opportunities, saying many young people don’t recognize what they have.
“Because of the high expectations and the opportunities and options we grow up with, we don’t know what struggle looks like or how hard our parents had to work to provide these opportunities for us,” Gathright said. “We don’t know what we have until it’s gone.”
“I hope as well for the community’s sake that there is some change, because this can’t go on,” Judge Kimberly Fernandez said.
First Coast News crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said the defendants’ statements should serve as a warning to families and a conversation starter for parents.
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“I would hope that parents would sit down with their young children and watch this court proceeding,” Jefferson said.
“If you feel that you need to be in the in crowd, you need to be popular, you need to be a part of a game because you think it’s cool because you’re committing crimes and you’re getting money, illegal money, the message is, it’s not what it looks like,” said Jefferson. “So talk to your children while they’re young, explain to them. There are consequences to actions.”
In May, jurors recommended life sentences without parole for all four men, opting not to recommend the death penalty. Under Florida law, a life sentence is mandatory for a first-degree murder conviction in this case.
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