Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Jury Selection Begins in Tampa for First Defendant in Julio Foolio Killing

Prosecutors frame the case around a lookout role supported by phone data in a long-running gang feud, with four co-defendants facing potential capital trials next year.

Overview

  • Hillsborough County jurors began screening Monday for the trial of Alicia Andrews, 21, the first of five defendants charged in the 2024 slaying of Jacksonville rapper Charles “Julio Foolio” Jones.
  • Prosecutors allege Andrews acted as a lookout with boyfriend Isaiah Chance, using her phone and car to track Jones between Tampa venues before an ambush at a Holiday Inn that left three others wounded.
  • Investigators point to cell-site records showing a direct trip from Jacksonville to Tampa with no stops and hotel surveillance video that captured the parking-lot shooting.
  • The state says Andrews is not eligible for the death penalty because she was not part of a criminal enterprise, while Chance, Sean Gathright, Davion Murphy, and Rashad Murphy could face capital punishment if convicted.
  • A judge has preliminarily blocked the defense from presenting alleged domestic‑violence evidence as duress, and separate trials for the four co-defendants are scheduled for spring 2026.