Pop Smoke: Two adults and two teenagers charged with murder of 20-year-old rapper
Two adults and two teenagers have been charged with the murder of rapper Pop Smoke.
The 20-year-old musician, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, died on 19 February during a home-invasion robbery in the Hollywood Hills.
On Monday (13 July), four men were charged for their roles in the plot.
Corey Walker, 19, and Keandre Rodgers, 18, were charged with murder, as well as gang and gun allegations, by the Los Angeles County district attorney.
As Pop was killed during the commission of a robbery and a burglary, the pair could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted as charged.
Two individuals aged 17 and 15 were also charged with one count of murder and robbery in juvenile court. Five suspects were arrested last week in connection to the rapper’s death.
According to Los Angeles police reports at the time, a number of masked men broke into Pop’s house in the early hours of the morning, with the artist later being found suffering multiple gunshot wounds and dying in hospital.
While authorities initially discounted the possibility that the artist’s death was related to a robbery, they later admitted that the evidence now supported that theory.
The Brooklyn-born artist has been credited with helping bridge the gap between UK drill and New York hip-hop, with his 2019 single “Welcome to the Party” being remixed by Skepta and Nicki Minaj.
