TAMPA, Fla. (Court TV) — The woman accused of killing rapper Julio Foolio was dealt a setback in court on Wednesday when a judge ruled her attorneys won’t be allowed to introduce evidence of domestic violence at her trial.
Alicia Andrews appears in court at a pretrial hearing on Aug. 13, 2025. (Court TV)
Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio, aka Charles Jones, was shot and killed on June 23, 2024, in the wake of what prosecutors have described as an ongoing rival gang war. Alicia Andrews was charged with Jones’ murder along with her boyfriend, Isaiah Chance, and three other men.
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Andrews’ attorneys, prosecutors and the judge met for a pretrial hearing on Wednesday ahead of her trial on first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, scheduled to begin on Monday. Among the issues addressed, along with scheduling and logistics, was a request from prosecutors to bar the defense from mentioning domestic violence.
While Andrews’ attorneys wanted to introduce alleged domestic violence incidents as evidence of her state of mind, prosecutors said that would be in violation of Florida law. Under state law, defendants charged with premeditated first-degree murder (prosecutors noted the conspiracy charge as well) are not eligible to use duress as a defense. Because of that, prosecutors successfully argued that any alleged domestic violence is irrelevant to the murder case. While Judge Michelle Sisco granted the prosecution’s motion, she said the defense could file a motion during the trial to introduce the evidence if they feel prosecutors have opened a door.
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When prosecutors confirmed that the ruling meant that no mention of domestic violence would be allowed, Andrews’ attorney expressed his disappointment, saying, “We would like to get it in our opening statement.” Judge Sisco replied, “I know…I would like to be 20 lbs lighter. However, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday morning in Tampa.
