One of the men involved in the killing of Pop Smoke has pleaded guilty and sentenced to four years in prison, the Los Angeles Times reports.
On Thursday (April 6), Judge J. Christopher Smith sentenced the 20-year-old defendant to 4 years in a juvenile treatment facility. After the sentencing, Smith addressed the young man, asserting that he would pay for his crime.
“I don’t know how you and your friends even came to the idea to rob someone, someone whose life was taken unnecessarily,” the judge said. “Mr. Jackson is not [returning]. His life is done because of what you and your friends did. You owe. You owe.”
The unnamed man, who was a teen at the time of the crime, was the first to admit guilt out of the four males charged in the death of Pop Smoke, née Bashar Barakah Jackson. The other three defendants were two juvenile defendants, aged 15 and 17 at the time of Jackson’s death, and Corey Walker, aged 19. All have yet to stand trial.
While Walker’s name has been revealed, a judge has issued a court order blocking media from identifying the case’s other minor defendants.
In February 2020, Jackson, 20, was on a four-day trip to Los Angeles at the time of his passing. The “MPR” rapper posted a picture on his Instagram of a gift bag from Amiri. However, the photo included his address, and that night, a group of individuals broke into the artist’s bedroom.
The four figures encountered him in the shower, where one of the suspects, the 15-year-old, “pistol-whipped” Pop. He then shot the artist three times, resulting in his death.
According to the court testimony, the intruders stole “Jackson’s watch, a diamond-studded Rolex they sold for $2,000,” a detective revealed during the case’s hearing.
Deputy district attorney Hilary Williams reportedly spoke about the defendant, alerting a judge in August 2022 that he played a more significant role in Jackson’s death.
Williams claimed that the sentenced young man scouted out his mansion and assisted Walker in recruiting three other minors to rob Pop Smoke. Additionally, the unnamed defendant stayed in “constant communication” with Walker after forcing his way into the premises.
VIBE sends our condolences to Pop Smoke’s family, his friends, and fans.