Alicia Andrews learned her fate as Foolio’s grieving mother told a Florida court the rapper’s death still haunts her family.
Alicia Andrews received 15 years in a Florida prison Friday for her role in the deadly Tampa ambush that killed Jacksonville rapper Foolio after prosecutors said gang rivals tracked him across the state during his birthday trip.
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Kimberly Fernandez handed down the maximum sentence Andrews faced after a jury convicted her last year of manslaughter. Andrews, 23, had been charged with first-degree murder but was found guilty of the lesser offense.
Andrews appeared in court shackled and dressed in a red jail uniform. She did not address the judge before the sentence was imposed. Her attorney, Jeremy McLymont, said she intends to appeal the verdict and argued that her involvement in the case did not rise to the level of manslaughter.
“Miss Andrews’ role is very much minor compared to those of her co-defendants in this case,” McLymont said. “We obviously believe the facts of this case don’t amount to a manslaughter charge.”
The sentencing came one week after jurors declined to recommend the death penalty for four other defendants convicted in the killing of Foolio, whose government name was Charles Jones. Isaiah Chance, Sean Gathright, Davion Murphy and Rashad Murphy were convicted in a monthlong first-degree murder trial tied to what prosecutors described as a violent feud between rival Jacksonville street gangs.
Foolio built a large following through his music and social media presence. Testimony in court also described him as the leader of 6 Block, a Jacksonville-based gang that was beefing with other street tribes 1200 and ATK (Ace’s Top Killers).
Prosecutors said the feud had fueled a cycle of killings and drill songs in which members mocked dead rivals. That rivalry followed Foolio to Tampa in June 2024 after he posted about a birthday getaway to celebrate turning 26.
Authorities said Andrews and Chance, her boyfriend, tracked Jones as he visited clubs around Tampa with his entourage. Prosecutors maintain they used Andrews’ phone to relay updates about Jones’ movements to the other defendants.
Shortly after 4:30 a.m. on June 23, 2024, gunmen opened fire as Jones sat in the passenger seat of a Dodge Charger outside the Home 2 Suites near the University of South Florida. Jones was killed and three others were wounded.
Foolio’s mother, Sandrikas Mays, told the court Andrews helped set the fatal chain of events in motion.
“Whether she pulled the trigger or not, my son would still be alive today if she had not participated in carrying out the plan,” Mays said.
Mays said her family continues to live with the weight of the killing.
“Alicia’s family can see her,” she said. “They can talk to her. She can see her child, but I can’t see my child.”
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