Man linked to Hollywood Hills killing of rapper Pop Smoke faces up to 29 years in prison
One of four people charged in connection with the fatal shooting of rapper Pop Smoke in Hollywood Hills pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Wednesday.
Corey Walker, 24, also pleaded guilty to two counts of home-invasion robbery for his role in the Feb. 19, 2020 killing of the New York-based rapper, whose legal name was Bashar Jackson. Walker had initially been charged with murder and could have faced up to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He now faces up to 29 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 21.
When he was killed, Pop Smoke was a 20-year-old Brooklyn-born rapper known for songs such as "What You Know Bout Love" and "For the Night," with collaborations involving artists such as Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby.
Walker was 19 at the time of the killing while another defendant in the case, Keandre Rodgers, was 22, and the other two remaining defendants were underage. Rodgers had also initially been charged with murder, and both he and Walker first faced charges with special allegations that made them eligible for the death penalty. California has had a moratorium on executions since 2019.
About a year after he was charged, Los Angeles prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty against Walker.
The two teenagers linked to the killing, who were 17 and 15 when prosecutors filed charges in July 2020, have both admitted to their roles.
Jackson was on a four-day trip to Los Angeles and staying at a rental home in the Hollywood Hills when the two teens and two men broke into the house while he was in the shower. They had found his address from a photo in an Instagram post he shared, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported testimony detailing the then-15-year-old's role in the deadly attack.
He had pistol-whipped Jackson and shot him three times before the group fled, according to the testimony cited by the Times. He later admitted to first-degree murder in a juvenile court in May 2023. He is expected to remain at a juvenile facility until he's 25.
The other defendant, 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery in an Inglewood juvenile court in April 2023. He was sentenced to four years and two months in a juvenile facility.
A detective testified that the masked robbers took off with Jackson's diamond-studded Rolex watch and sold it for $2,000, the Associated Press reported.
City News Service contributed to this report.
