A Los Angeles judge has set a date for the trial of the murder of rapper Pop Smoke, born Bashar Barakah Jackson. Corey Walker is the only defendant charged as an adult, as he was 19 years old, and has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and three counts related to a home robbery that took place at Jackson’s Hollywood Hills rental home. Walker’s trial begins on June 25 in LA, confirms Rolling Stone. Last April, a man (who was 17 at the time of the murder) pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 4 years and two months; shortly after, in May 2023, an unidentified young man (who was 15) confessed to killing the rapper. Rolling Stone reports the third man (16 years old) settled his case at an undisclosed time.
Walker’s former defense lawyer, Christopher Darden, argued that he was not involved in the planning of the murder and that the “worst case scenario†was simply a driver remaining outside of the house in the vehicle. Prosecutors argue that Walker “facilitated the crimes by not only surveilling the crime scene before the crimes were committed but serving as the researcher, getaway driver, weapons provider and planner of this home invasion robbery.â€