Defendant In Pop Smoke Murder Case Accepts Plea Deal

The nearly five-year prosecution of the suspects involved in the 2020 murder of the late Pop Smoke has come to a close.

According to a report from Rolling Stone on Wednesday (February 5), Corey Walker, the only adult defendant in the case, accepting a plea deal. Walker, who was accused of leading three juveniles in the deadly home invasion robbery, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery with gun and gang enhancements.

He’s due to be sentenced on February 21, when it will likely be ruled that Walker serve 29 years in prison. Prosecutors dropped a murder charge as part of the deal. The newly added manslaughter charge included aggravating factors, such as the crime being carried out with planning and “a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, and callousness.” Walker also pleaded guilty to robbing a woman at the home. His pleas averted a jury trial that was set to begin this week in Los Angeles.

Walker admitted to providing a 9mm firearm to one of the juveniles and acknowledged that the group sold Pop Smoke’s diamond-studded Rolex for only $2,000. The Brooklyn-born rapper, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, was fatally shot during the robbery at an Airbnb rental in the Hollywood Hills in February 2020. The group targeted the property after Pop Smoke posted photos on social media revealing its address and showcasing luxury items.

Prosecutors described Walker as the ringleader who surveilled the crime scene, served as the getaway driver and provided weapons. Walker’s previous defense lawyer, Christopher Darden, argued that Walker did not personally enter the house or share the shooter’s intent to kill. Darden claimed Walker even told the group to use a flower vase for self-defense instead of a gun if necessary.

The case involved three juvenile defendants, including the 15-year-old who admitted to being the triggerman. In May 2023, he was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. However, under California law, the maximum age for juvenile detention is 25 years old. The other two juvenile defendants also settled their cases, with one being sent to a post-conviction juvenile facility.

Adding to the controversy, one of the juvenile defendants, known as Blockstar, who has since been released, gave a shocking interview in 2024 where he expressed no remorse for his role in Pop Smoke’s death.

“I’m not sorry about nothing,” Blockstar stated. “It should’ve never happened, but I ain’t sorry. N##### die every day. [Pop Smoke] was rapping about it.”

He continued, “I send my condolences to the family. I wish it never happened. But I don’t regret nothing.” Blockstar insisted that the murder wasn’t a setup and that the group didn’t intend to harm anyone, stating, “We was just kids being kids—being kids from the hood. Too much movement going on. It wasn’t intentional.”

Watch the clip from the interview in the post above.

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