What happened to Javonnta Murphy? Suspects arrested after young rapper found dead inside a barrel

Police have taken two suspects into custody in connection to the alleged murder of Javonnta Murphy. On July 31, 2023, law enforcement officials responded to a scene where a body was found inside a barrel in Malibu. Police further discovered that Javonnta Murphy was a part of Tank & Booq, a hip-hop duo.

Authorities have identified the two suspects as Joshua Lee Simmons, 37, and Dennis Vance, 41. They also claimed that both Simmons and Vance were "acquaintances" to the victim whose body was discovered back in July. Cops believe that Simmons fatally shot Murphy on July 27, and then dumped his body in the barrel.

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Javonnta Murphy, a young rapper, has been found dead and without clothes inside a barrel in Malibu about three months back

The chain of events began in July when police discovered the young hip-hop performer's naked body in a barrel. The Los Angeles Times reported that the victim was allegedly shot by one of the suspects, Joshua Lee Simmons, on July 27, and then he put his naked body in the barrel.

Approximately three days later, a maintenance worker noticed a barrel in the waters of Malibu Lagoon State Beach and retrieved it to the shore, but refrained from opening it. The barrel later made it back to the water.

The next day, on July 31, a lifeguard spotted the barrel and it was brought back to the shore again. However, this time, the person who discovered it chose to open it up and check. Eventually, the lifeguard found out Javonnta Murphy's body. Shortly after 10 a.m. local time, authorities were called to the site on the 23200 block of the Pacific Coast Highway. Upon arrival, authorities found the body and mentioned that it had not yet reached an advanced level of decomposition.

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One of the suspects' in Javonnta Murphy's murder also faces robbery charges in an unrelated case

The victim's family has expressed grief after their loved one passed away. A family friend, Patrick Nelson spoke about Javonnta Murphy and said,

"He was a good kid, good person. He didn’t gang-bang. What happened to him, I just don’t understand."

Authorities spoke about the barrel used to possibly hide the victim's body, which belonged to a printing company. Sheriff’s Department homicide Lt. Hugo Reynaga further mentioned the incident, and said,

"At about 8 p.m., there’s a high tide here, and there’s a possibility that the container could have come in from the ocean and then got stuck in the lagoon — but we don’t know."

Police further looked into the suspect, Simmons' background, and discovered that he wasn't a new face to law enforcement. At the beginning of September, a failed heist took place in a jewelry store in El Monte, and Simmons was allegedly involved there. On October 3, cops arrested him in connection to the robbery. He additionally faces charges like one count of attempted robbery and two counts of criminal threats against the owner of the jewelry store.