Pop Smoke Killer Sentenced to 29 Years, Apologizes for ‘Unforgivable Actions’

The final defendant convicted in the fatal 2020 shooting of Pop Smoke appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday and apologized for his role in the rapper’s death before receiving his sentence of 29 years in prison.

Corey Walker, 24, had pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery with gun and gang enhancements at a hearing two weeks ago. Seated at the defense table in an orange jail uniform, he said he was deeply remorseful for driving a group of juveniles to the rented Airbnb where the rising rapper, born Bashar Jackson, was pistol-whipped and shot three times with a Beretta 9 mm semiautomatic pistol in the predawn hours of February 19, 2020.

“Even though the Jackson family isn’t here in court today, I would like to sincerely apologize for my unforgivable actions, although there’s no apology that amounts to the taking of someone’s life,” Walker said. “I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to my family for the pain and embarrassment that they have endured over the last five years, as well as an apology to my community.”

Walker then thanked his defense lawyers, Kellen Davis and Deion Benjamin, for “helping me avoid a much more harsh punishment.” Under his plea deal, a murder charge was dropped in favor of the manslaughter charge. If Walker had been convicted as initially charged, he was facing a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. “Today I take responsibility for my dreadful partake in these crimes, and as I begin my road to rehabilitation, I assure you that I will steer clear from negative behavior,” Walker told the court.

Walker was the only adult charged in the case. Three of his cohorts convicted in juvenile court were 15, 16 and 17 years old at the time they stormed Jackson’s rental home wearing masks. Jackson, 20, was ambushed while taking a shower, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing. The group entered the home in search of cash, a gold chain, and a diamond-studded watch the “Dior” rapper had flashed on social media, prosecutors said.

When Walker accepted his plea deal earlier this month, he admitted he initially surveilled the rental home in his BMW with a 17-year-old accomplice and left to recruit others. He agreed he returned in a different vehicle with ski masks, gloves and a police scanner to avoid detection and provided a 9 mm firearm to one of the juveniles. He admitted he and the others later sold Jackson’s stolen Rolex for just $2,000.

“Corey Walker was not an innocent participant in any of this. He was the mastermind ringleader in the planning, driving and provision of weapons to minors,” Deputy District Attorney Hilary Williams told Rolling Stone after the hearing Friday. “He did surveillance on the home earlier that night and exchanged or traded cars so that the vehicle he drove up in was now a four-door vehicle that could accommodate more individuals that could enter that home and violate the rights of Mr. Jackson and his friends. Mr. Walker knew exactly what he was doing.”

Williams, who prosecuted all four defendants, said Jackson’s family considered submitting a victim impact statement but respectfully declined because the prospect of putting their suffering into words was “insurmountable.” Williams said she hoped the final sentencing would “in some way bring some measure of closure” to Jackson’s family, friends and fans. “But certainly, this horrific event is something they’ll have to live with for the rest of their lives,” she said.

Speaking to Rolling Stone two weeks ago, Jackson’s mother, Audrey Jackson, said she was thankful the case was resolved, but it didn’t change her devastation. “It’s over for everybody except for me. This never ends for me. And that’s unfair,” she said, speaking by phone after Walker pleaded guilty. “I’m grateful that the culprits were caught. I appreciate they got justice to the fullest extent of the law. But my life doesn’t change. I still don’t have my son. I will continue to work on his legacy, but that’s also a constant reminder that he’s not here.”

The three other defendants, including the 15-year-old shooter, were convicted under much different circumstances. The teen triggerman admitted in May 2023 that he shot the celebrated “Dior” rapper. He was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, but under California law, the maximum age for juvenile detention is 25 years old. The eldest of the juveniles admitted to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery at a hearing in April 2023. The third juvenile, 16 at the time, also settled his case and was sent to a post-conviction juvenile housing facility, a source confirmed.

In court filings obtained by Rolling Stone, Walker’s defense admitted he was aware a weapon was present for the robbery, but he claimed he had instructed the juveniles not to fire. Walker allegedly insisted that “if it became necessary for the suspects to defend themselves, they should use a flower vase rather than shoot someone,” the filing read. “It was only after the robbers exited the house and reentered the vehicle that [Walker] learned of the shooting. In response, [Walker] assaulted the shooter.”

Walker’s defense lawyers told Rolling Stone on Friday that the plea deal was the best outcome for their client. Still, it was a “hard pill to swallow,” Davis said, considering Walker wasn’t inside the home at the time of the shooting but will end up serving the longest sentence. “He really is taking a big blow here, but I think his apology is heartfelt. He genuinely is remorseful. He never wanted this to happen,” Davis said. “We join in the apology.”