Corey Walker, one of the four individuals involved in the 2020 shooting death of Pop Smoke, apologized to the deceased rapper’s family before he was sentenced to 29 years in prison on Friday, February 21.
Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah Jackson, was gunned down on February 19, 2020, during an attempted robbery at a rented home in Los Angeles. Walker is said to have driven the three other individuals to the rented AirBnB home. Prior to his murder, Pop Smoke was a fast-emerging New York drill rapper.
Walker’s conviction also came after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on February 5, CBS News previously reported. Besides pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, Walker, 24, additionally entered a guilty plea to two counts of home-invasion robbery. Walker previously faced a murder charge, and a conviction could have seen him being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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“Even though the Jackson family isn’t here in court today, I would like to sincerely apologize for my unforgivable actions, although there’s no apology that amounts to the taking of someone’s life,” Walker said in court, per Rolling Stone. “I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to my family for the pain and embarrassment that they have endured over the last five years, as well as an apology to my community.”
Walker also expressed his gratitude to his defense lawyers for helping him “avoid a much more harsh punishment.” “Today I take responsibility for my dreadful partake in these crimes, and as I begin my road to rehabilitation, I assure you that I will steer clear from negative behavior,” Walker added.
Walker and another suspect, Keandre Rodgers, were 19 and 22 respectively when they were linked to Pop Smoke’s shooting death. The two other suspects were juveniles aged 15 and 17 at the time. Rodgers similarly faced a murder charge, and together with Walker, their charges reportedly had unique allegations that qualified the pair to receive death sentences if convicted.
But Los Angeles prosecutors later said they were not going to ask the court to sentence Walker to death, per CBS News. The two juveniles who were charged in connection with the rapper’s shooting also pleaded guilty to the crime.
The robbers forced their way into the Los Angeles rental home where the Welcome To The Party rapper was staying. The suspects became aware of Pop Smoke’s address after he shared a photo on Instagram, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Corey Walker was not an innocent participant in any of this. He was the mastermind ringleader in the planning, driving and provision of weapons to minors,” Deputy District Attorney Hilary Williams told Rolling Stone after Friday’s hearing.
“He did surveillance on the home earlier that night and exchanged or traded cars so that the vehicle he drove up in was now a four-door vehicle that could accommodate more individuals that could enter that home and violate the rights of Mr. Jackson and his friends. Mr. Walker knew exactly what he was doing.”
In 2021, Face2Face Africa reported that a detective testified that Pop Smoke was shot and killed by the then–15-year-old boy. The juvenile was also the youngest among the four robbers who participated in the home invasion.
Los Angeles Police Department Detective Carlos Camacho told the court the suspects invaded the Brooklyn rapper’s Airbnb rental in Hollywood Hills with the intention of robbing him of his Cuban link chain. They, however, only managed to steal his diamond-studded Rolex watch, later reselling it for $2,000, New York Daily News reported.
The investigator testified the teen acknowledged his involvement in the robbery during a conversation with a cellmate at the juvenile detention center where he was being held after his arrest.
“He admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Baretta 9 (mm.),” LAPD Det. Camacho told the court, adding that the conversation in question was recorded.
Camacho also testified that the then-15-year-old “admitted that they asked for the jewelry” and also got into “a confrontation” with the 20-year-old rapper. “They got into a fight, and he shot him three times,” the detective said. “He said he shot him on the back.”
The teen shooter was tried in a juvenile court where he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in May 2023, CBS News reported. He is scheduled to be released from the juvenile facility when he turns 25.
The second then-17-year-old juvenile was also tried in a juvenile court. In April 2023, he entered guilty pleas to manslaughter and home invasion robbery. He received a four-year and two months sentence to be served in a juvenile facility.
“It’s over for everybody except for me. This never ends for me. And that’s unfair,” Pop Smoke’s mother, Audrey Jackson, told Rolling Stone. “I’m grateful that the culprits were caught. I appreciate they got justice to the fullest extent of the law. But my life doesn’t change. I still don’t have my son. I will continue to work on his legacy, but that’s also a constant reminder that he’s not here.”
