XXXTENTACION’s murder trial is well under way, and a fan has now explained why he snapped a photo of the late rapper after he was fatally shot and posted it to social media.
On Tuesday (February 14), day six of XXXTENTACION’s murder trial, a fan named Scott Barbieux was called to the stand to recount the events that led him to photograph the late rapper after he was shot and killed.
According to Barbieux, he and his ex-girlfriend were window shopping at RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Florida when he witnessed XXX getting robbed and ultimately murdered.
Following the incident, Barbieux testified that he checked on the “Look at Me!” recording artist — saw the bullet wounds and assumed him dead — before taking a photo and posting it to Snapchat.
XXXTENTACION fan explains taking bloody photo of rapper after being shothttps://t.co/1PtFomDbXi pic.twitter.com/DmE3RUGiI2
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) February 19, 2023
During his testimony, Barbieux proceeded to tell Prosecutor Pascale Achille that he took the snap because he was a huge fan of XXXTENTACION. Though, he was not in possession of the photo for long as investigators immediately took his phone from him at the scene of the crime.
“Do you recall taking a photograph with your phone of Mr. Onfroy after he was shot and seated in his vehicle?” Achille asked Barbieux.
“Yes,” Barbieux replied.
“Why did you do that?” asked Achille.
“Because I was a big fan of his and I wanted to have a photo to remember that forever,” Barbieux replied.
“Did that photograph, did you then upload it?” Achille asked.
“It was on Snapchat, yes,” confirmed Barbieux.
Prior to the incident, Barbieux admitted that he crossed paths with the “Hope” rapper as he exited the motorcycle shop but was denied when he asked for a photo-op. “Hey X let me get a photo — but he just ignored me and got in his car,” Barbieux testified. “He wasn’t in a good mood. You could tell by the way he came out of the door,” he added, detailing the rapper’s abrupt exit.
Later on, during the defense’s cross-examination, Barbieux testified that he checked on the body and realized the rapper had passed away. Defense attorney Mauricio Padilla then asked Barbieux if he received compensation for the image, to which he replied: “No.”
[via]