Alicia Andrews received a 15-year state prison sentence on Friday for involuntary manslaughter after helping track the movements of rapper Julio Foolio, who was murdered in Tampa in June 2024. An Hillsborough County judge imposed the maximum possible sentence for the involuntary manslaughter charge, ending months of sentencing hearing delays.
The case involves the death of Charles Jones, real name Julio Foolio, a prominent figure in Jacksonville’s drill rap scene. Jones traveled to Tampa to celebrate his 26th birthday when he was ambushed and murdered at Holiday Inn near Sul’s Sul campus, also leaving three other people injured.
Andrews assisted in tracking that ended in a fatal ambush
Enquanto Julio Foolio visited different clubs in Tampa during the night of June 2024, Alicia Andrews provided crucial information about his movements to the other conspirators. Sua’s participation was crucial for the assassins to be able to locate him at the time and place where they carried out the ambush.
Andrews was tried separately from the other four directly accused of the death. Sua conviction resulted in manslaughter, while the remaining defendants face more serious charges.
Outros defendants sentenced to life in prison
The four men accused alongside Andrews received much harsher sentences in the week before Andrews’s trial. Isaiah Chance, Sean Gathright, Davion Murphy and Rashad Murphy were all convicted of qualified homicide, an offense that allows for the death penalty or life imprisonment in cases of premeditated murder.
- Isaiah Chance — convicted of qualified murder
- Sean Gathright — convicted of qualified murder
- Davion Murphy — convicted of qualified murder
- Rashad Murphy — convicted of qualified murder
The jury recommended life in prison for all four, meaning they will spend the rest of their lives in Flórida State Prison.
Contexto of gang rivalry and drill rap culture
The defendants and victim were affiliated with rival gangs, a situation that created lethal tensions between the groups. Julio Foolio was an important figure in Jacksonville’s drill rap scene, a musical style characterized by compositions that disrespect dead gang members and celebrate their murders. Essa musical confrontational dynamics often reflect real conflicts between criminal organizations.
Foolio’s decision to travel to Tampa, the city where his enemies operated, exposed the artist to significant risk. Andrews, by contributing to tracking his movements, made it easier for his opponents to execute their attack plan.
Victim’s Mãe demands legal accountability
Sandrikas Mays, Charles Jones’s mother, attended Alicia Andrews’s sentencing hearing and addressed the court with a personal statement. Ela emphasized that his son was much more than an artist or public figure. The statement highlighted the family and emotional bond lost with the 26-year-old’s death.
“My son was more than a rapper. Ele was my son and was deeply loved. Nenhuma sentence will never bring Charles back to me, but accountability matters,” Sandrikas Mays told the court during the hearing. Sua’s presence reinforced the human impact of the crime beyond the legal and criminal aspects involved in the case.
Andrews’s sentence, although shorter than that of the men accused of aggravated murder, formally recognized his crucial role in the planning and execution of the murder. Mesmo without having directly participated in the shooting, his contribution to locating and tracking the victim was considered essential to make the crime possible.