Davion Murphy, one of four men convicted in the June 2024 murder of Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio, made an unexpected courtroom statement during his sentencing Monday, delivering a stark warning to young people about the consequences of street violence.
Murphy changed his mind at the last second and asked to address the court before receiving his life sentence without parole. Standing at the podium, he began with a spiritual message, telling the judge: “First, I would like to say to God be the glory and all the time and he will have the last say so in our situation.”
The 29-year-old maintained his innocence despite the jury’s guilty verdict on first-degree murder charges. “As I said in my interrogation interview, I’ll be judged for it and I’ll forever retain my innocence,” Murphy stated.
But Murphy’s most striking moment came when he directly addressed Generation Z. “I just want to say to the Gen Z generation, change your life and do something productive with your life because in this predicament, it ain’t worth it,” he said.
He acknowledged the severity of his situation, noting that while it appeared he’d spend the rest of his life behind bars, he planned to maintain a positive mindset. “This is not my first rodeo down this road…it’s looking like forever, but I’ll forever keep a positive mind state and a positive mindset, but to God be the glory forever,” Murphy concluded.
Murphy was one of four men found guilty in the ambush shooting of Foolio, whose real name was Charles Jones. The 26-year-old rapper was celebrating his birthday outside a Tampa Holiday Inn on June 23, 2024, when he was shot and killed. Three others were wounded in the attack that prosecutors said involved 31 rounds fired into the vehicle.
Isaiah Chance, Sean Gathright, and Rashad Murphy were also convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A fifth defendant, Alicia Andrews, was convicted of manslaughter for her role in setting up the ambush and received a 15-year sentence.
