The sentencing for Sean Gathright, Isaiah Chance, Davion Murphy, and Rashad Murphy is scheduled to occur on June 22 at 1:30 p.m.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A jury has recommended life imprisonment without parole for four men convicted of murdering Jacksonville rapper Foolio. This decision was reached last Friday.
The individuals, identified as Isaiah Chance, Sean Gathright, Davion Murphy, and Rashad Murphy, were found guilty on May 8 for the killing of Foolio. Since the prosecution pursued the death penalty, permissible under Florida’s first-degree murder statutes, the jury had to determine whether the men should face execution or life sentences.
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Foolio, legally known as Charles Jones, was celebrating his 26th birthday in Tampa on June 23, 2024, when he was fatally attacked outside a Holiday Inn. The incident also resulted in injuries to three additional individuals.
According to the prosecution, the killing was part of a larger “ongoing gang war” in Jacksonville.
Investigators revealed that Chance, Gathright, and the Murphy brothers orchestrated their attack after Jones announced his Tampa birthday plans on Instagram with promotional flyers on June 14, 2024.
During the penalty phase of the trial, Gathright testified that he felt “very remorseful,” and told jurors he took the stand to take responsibility.
“To the victim’s family, I want to send my deepest condolences,” Gathright said. “I understand that it’s hard losing a child, a best friend, a brother, a cousin, and for that, I just cannot say sorry enough. I feel terrible about the situation.”
Gathright later testified saying, “The streets are not the way.”
Sentencing for Gathright, Chance and the Murphys is set for June 22 at 1:30 p.m. A sentencing date for the fifth suspect in the case, Alicia Andrews, has not yet been set. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter in a separate trial in October 2025.
