DA Won’t Seek Death Penalty Against Man Charged in Pop Smoke’s Murder
Written by SOURCE on July 7, 2021
The Los Angeles District Attorney will not pursue the death penalty against Corey Walker—one of four people accused of murdering Pop Smoke.
According to the New York Daily News, the prosecution announced their decision in court Tuesday, less than 17 months after the Brooklyn rapper was fatally shot during a home invasion robbery. Walker, now 20, was the only defendant who was an adult at the time of the incident; the other three suspects, who were 15, 16, and 17 when the shooting occurred, are being prosecuted in juvenile court.
“Your honor, our office is not going to be seeking death on this case, but we are going to be asking for a lot,” Deputy DA Hilary Williams said during Walker’s arraignment hearing.
Walker was originally due back in court on Wednesday, but the defense and prosecution agreed to postpone his plea hearing to next month, citing paperwork issues.
“We haven’t talked about a deal or resolution, and we really can’t until the death penalty is removed,” Walker’s attorney, Christopher Darden, told the Daily News.
Pop Smoke was killed on Feb. 19, 2020, after a group broke into an Airbnb the rapper was renting in Southern California. Authorities say the 15-year-old suspect had confessed to fatally shooting Pop Smoke while they attempted to rob him of a diamond Rolex. Walker reportedly admitted to his involvement while speaking to his cellmate who turned out to be a plant for the police. Walker reportedly told the informant he was a member of a South LA street gang and had purchased gloves, masks, and a police scanner for the deadly robbery. He allegedly admitted to giving firearms to two of his co-defendants, but stayed in the vehicle as the others broke in.
“He’s clearly not an aider and abettor of premeditated murder,” Darden told the judge about his client. “At most, he’s a principal in a robbery … He’s a driver. He is outside.”
It’s reported that Walker is now facing a maximum sentence of life without parole. Stay tuned as more details about the case become available.
Pop Smoke’s manager Steven Victor confirmed the rapper’s second posthumous album—the following to last year’s Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon—will arrive on July 16.
