It’s been more than four years since up-and-coming rap star Pop Smoke was murdered during a home robbery in the Hollywood Hills. And now one of the men involved in the killing will finally have his day in court this summer.

According to Vulture, a Los Angeles judge has just set a June 25 trial date for Corey Walker, who’s accused of taking part in the robbery that led to the shooting of Pop Smoke (born Bashar Barakah Jackson) on Feb. 19, 2020. Walker, who was 19 years old at the time, was the only suspect charged as an adult in the murder and has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and three counts related to the home robbery.

Walker’s defense in the matter is that he wasn’t a part of the actual planning of the home robbery and was nothing more than the getaway driver who waited outside of the home while the entire scenario unfolded. Prosecutors, on the other hand, have painted Walker as the mastermind in the case and have said as much in the charges against the defendant.

Per Vulture:

Prosecutors argue that Walker “Facilitated the crimes by not only surveilling the crime scene before the crimes were committed but serving as the researcher, getaway driver, weapons provider and planner of this home invasion robbery.”

The trial date comes almost a year after three other minors involved in the killing settled their cases with one pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, another confessing to killing the rapper, and the third settling his case at an “undisclosed time.”

Why was Pop Smoke killed?

Before the incident, the rapper showed off a few gifts he had received via social media, one of which had the home’s address printed on it. Additionally, he posted a picture on Instagram sitting in a car with a friend, who was holding a large stack of cash. The friend uploaded a separate photo, which appeared to show a portion of the home’s address, as well.

Pop Smoke was only 20 years old.

Fellow rappers quickly attributed the deadly shooting to jealousy and envy.

Ironically, Pop Smoke had also spoken about “being more careful” after becoming a public figure and amassing a certain level of fame and notoriety through his music. “N***as like us, coming where we come from, we can’t afford to f**k up,” he once said during an interview with Angie Martinez. “We can’t afford to slip up, make no mistakes ‘cause they watching and they want us to. We got all odds against us, and fake n***as, they be winning sometimes. So, if you wanna succeed, you can’t f**k up. You got no space for it. We can’t afford it.”

What are your thoughts on the case?

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