15-year-old confesses during a conversation with a cellmate to the killing of Pop Smoke
The trigger-person in the tragic murder of Pop Smoke was reportedly a 15-year-old teen who along with a group of teens, stormed the rapper’s Airbnb rental in Hollywood Hills after his jewelry. The shooter and the group wanted Pop’s diamond-studded Rolex watch and his Cuban link chain which he was wearing.
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The robbers only managed to swipe away the watch, which they later sold for only $2000.
The teenage shooter, who is the youngest defendant, allegedly admitted his role in the slaying that happened at 4 a.m. on February 19, 2020, in a recorded jail interview with a cell mate.
“He admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Baretta 9 (mm.),” LAPD Det. Carlos Camacho testified Friday (April 7) at a preliminary hearing for another suspect, Corey Walker, 20, the sole adult defendant in the high-profile prosecution.
“They got into a fight, and he shot him three times,” Camacho said, citing the teen defendant’s recorded jail interview. “He said he shot him on the back.” – via New York Daily News
Corey Walker, who has pleaded not guilty, similarly admitted his role in the in the robbery that turned deadly in a recorded jail interview with an informant cell mate. “He said that when the individuals got inside, the suspects confronted (Pop Smoke), who was in the shower naked,” Camacho testified.
It is reported that the group asked for the jewelry and even said “thank you” when Pop Smoke appeared to comply. Pop decided to fight before he was shot in the chest.
In the recorded interview, Walker also admitted that the robbers used ski masks, gloves, and a police scanner to try to avoid detection.
After Deputy District Attorney Hilary Williams called her last witness in the preliminary hearing, Walker’s defense lawyer filed a motion asking the judge to drop Walter’s murder charges. “He’s clearly not an aider and abettor of premeditated murder,” Darden argued. “At most, he’s a principal in a robbery… He’s a driver. He is outside.”
Williams responded by stating that Walker scouted the late rapper’s house earlier and was aware that the perpetrators were going to rob Pop of his jewelry at gun point.
Judge H. Clay Jacke II denied Darden’s request to reduce Walter’s charges and ruled that there was “sufficient cause” to send the 20-year old to trial. Walter is due back in court on June 3 for re-arraignment.
