18-year-old man admits to fatally shooting rapper Pop Smoke in Hollywood Hills home
An 18-year-old man charged in the fatal 2020 shooting of Pop Smoke admitted to killing the rapper in juvenile court Friday.
The defendant, who was 15 at the time of the crime, admitted to a juvenile court petition charging him with first-degree murder in the Feb. 19, 2020, death of Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Jackson. He also admitted to home-invasion robbery and allegations that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm during the crime.
The man is expected to be held in a state juvenile facility until he turns 25.
The suspect, now 20, pleaded guilty in an Inglewood courtroom to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery, the first to admit guilt of four defendants charged in the death of Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson.
L.A. County Superior Court Judge J. Christopher Smith told the 18-year-old and his 19-year-old co-defendant that Jackson “lost his life over no good reason.”
“You have no right to take somebody’s life. You have no right to take somebody’s property,” Smith said, according to City News Service.
Three other people were charged in Jackson’s death: one other juvenile defendant who was a minor at the time of the crime and Corey Walker and Keandre Rodgers, who were 19 and 18, the Associated Press reported. A judge has issued a court order barring the media from identifying the juvenile defendants.
The death of Pop Smoke stunned the music world last year. Now, new details of the slaying and how detectives tracked his alleged killers have come to light.
The 18-year-old’s admission comes after a 20-year-old man pleaded guilty to the fatal shooting in April.
Pop Smoke, 20, was an up-and-coming Brooklyn rap star who was known for songs including “For the Night” and “What You Know Bout Love.” Nicki Minaj , Lil Baby and Travis Scott were among the rap stars who collaborated with the late performer.
On Feb. 19, 2020, a group of people, including one wearing a mask and armed with a handgun, broke into the rapper’s rental home in Hollywood Hills. The rapper, who was on a four-day trip to Los Angeles, had shared an Instagram post that revealed the address.
Pop Smoke, real name Bashar Barakah Jackson, was on the rise in the rap community before he was killed Wednesday in a Hollywood Hills home invasion.
The defendants burst into Jackson’s bedroom and confronted him in a shower, where the 15-year-old boy pistol-whipped the rapper and shot him three times in the back, according to testimony. They ran off with Jackson’s watch, a diamond-studded Rolex that they sold for $2,000.
Times staff writer Matthew Orsmeth and City News Service contributed to this report.
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