Pop Smoke's Accused Killer Will Not Face Death Penalty

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty in the case involving a man accused of killing rapper Pop Smoke in last year's botched robbery in the Hollywood Hills, they announced Tuesday.

Corey Walker, 20, could now face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of the Feb. 19, 2020, killing of the 20- year-old New York-based rapper, whose real name was Bashar Jackson. The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegation that the murder was committed during the commission of a robbery and burglary, along with gang and gun allegations.

The decision aligns with County District Attorney George Gascon's earlier statement last December that the death sentence is "never an appropriate resolution in any case." The case was filed under prior District Attorney Jackie Lacey's administration.

“The reality is the death penalty does not make us safer, it is racist, it’s morally untenable, it’s irreversible and expensive and beginning today it’s off the table in LA County,” Gascón said.

Three other people are charged in juvenile court with murder. The county's top prosecutor vowed in another directive that his office would "immediately end the practice of sending youth to the adult court system."

The killing took place on February 19, 2020. Officers went to 2033 Hercules Drive in the Hollywood Hills around 4 a.m. to respond to a 911 call, and found the fatally shot rapper who was later pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie said the 911 call that brought police to the Hercules Drive address came from someone on the East Coast who "stated a friend of theirs' home was being broken into by multiple suspects, and that one of them was armed with a handgun.

"When officers arrived there approximately six minutes later, they discovered a victim inside the house had been shot," Lurie said. "They called the fire department, who arrived and transported that victim to Cedars-Sinai, where he was pronounced dead."

The suspects were wearing masks and were last seen running from the home and possibly getting into a nearby vehicle. Officers detained several people who were inside the house, according to Lurie, but "all of those folks were released. ... No one was arrested at the scene."

Investigators believed the suspects had entered Pop Smoke's rental home with plans of robbery. In the days before the incident, the rapper had posted a photo of the home next to a large amount of money, with the background of the photo revealing the home's address.

Pop Smoke was named top new artist, top rap artist and top male rap artist at the Billboard Music Awards in May, while his "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon" won top rap album and top Billboard 200 album.

The rapper's mother, Audrey Jackson, accepted the top Billboard 200 album award on her late son's behalf, saying then that she wanted to "thank the fans for honoring the life and spirit of my son so much that he continues to manifest as if he were still here in the flesh.

"He created music for the kid who has to sleep four in a room, the kid who has to figure out how to get to school each day so he can graduate and make his mom proud," she continued. "He did this so that 14-year-olds would not have to kill to prove that they are somebody. That is the irony in this."

Pop Smoke's second posthumous album, the self-titled "Pop Smoke," is set to be released on July 16.

City News Service contributed to this report.