Corey Walker, one of the four individuals fingered in the shooting death of New York rapper Pop Smoke, is facing up to 29 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on Wednesday, CBS News reported.
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. Prior to his murder, Pop Smoke was a fast-emerging drill rapper.
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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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 four individuals 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.
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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 kept 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.
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