One Of Pop Smoke’s Killers Pleads Guilty And Receives 4-Year Sentence In Juvenile Detention
One of the four men accused of killing rapper Pop Smoke pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion larceny.
Judge J. Christopher Smith sentenced the now 20-year-old defendant to 4 years and 2 months in a juvenile treatment facility on Thursday after he confessed to entering Pop Smoke’s Hollywood Hills mansion with the intention of robbing him and shooting him during a struggle.
The unidentified teen confessed to entering Pop Smoke’s Hollywood Hills mansion with the intention of robbing him and shooting him during a struggle.
The L.A. Times reports the judge refused to reduce his sentence by the 2 years and 8 months he’s already spent behind bars and warned the man he could remain in juvenile custody until he was 25.
The remaining three defendants—two juveniles and Corey Walker—are awaiting trial and, if convicted, could face the death penalty. Multiple reports in 2021 say Corey insists he only wanted to hit the rapper with a vase, not shoot him.
The death of Pop Smoke, whose actual name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, a rising star in the music industry, shocked the world. He was shot and killed on February 19, 2020, after a home invasion inside a Hollywood Hills mansion erupted in gunfire.
The guilty plea is a modest step in the direction of justice for Pop Smoke and his family, but it also highlights the problem of gun violence and the need for stricter gun control laws.
The case is still ongoing, and it remains to be seen how the other defendants will fare.
