Authorities claim Alicia Andrews played a crucial role in the death of Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio. She is accused of trailing his location and helping set up the fatal ambush that took place last June in South Florida.
The high-profile case, tangled in years of rap beef and gang rivalries, is now moving forward in Hillsborough County, with jury selection beginning Monday, August 18th. Andrews will be the first of five codefendants to face trial.
According to AllHipHop, investigators say Andrews tracked Foolio while he was in Tampa celebrating his 26th birthday and then passed along his whereabouts to a group of alleged assailants. Prosecutors have described the killing as a “targeted attack stemming from gang rivalries.”
Foolio was shot and killed on June 23rd, 2023, outside a Holiday Inn near the University of South Florida. Court TV reports Andrews is charged with first-degree premeditated murder alongside Rashad Murphy, Davion Murphy, Sean Gathright, and her boyfriend, Isaiah Chance Jr. For several of the defendants, prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty.
Authorities allege the group followed Foolio through Tampa, in part using his social media posts to track him. They believe the murder was linked to the ongoing feud between Foolio’s KTA group and the ATK crew, a rivalry that has played out online, in music, and on the streets for years.
Andrews’ attorneys argued that she was a victim of domestic abuse and that her mental state influenced her actions. Judge Michelle Sisco, however, ruled that “Florida law bars duress as a defense in premeditated murder trials,” making the evidence inadmissible. Several outlets have reported that Andrews rejected an 18-year plea agreement, though that has not been confirmed by her legal team.
Opening statements are expected the day after jury selection.
