Corey Walker, 24, has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for his role in the 2020 killing of Pop Smoke in Los Angeles.
As reported by Rolling Stone, Walker apologized to the rapper's family during the sentencing. Walker pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery with gun and gang enhancements as part of a plea deal earlier this month. He was the only adult charged in the case and expressed remorse for his actions on February 19, 2020, when Pop Smoke was pistol-whipped and shot three times by Walker and three others.
"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 at the sentencing on Friday, Feb. 21. “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 thanked his defense lawyers, Kellen Davis and Deion Benjamin, who got the murder charge he was facing dropped in place of a manslaughter charge. He was originally 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 added.
During the hearing that saw Walker enter his plea deal earlier this month, he said that he and a 17-year-old accomplice visited the Airbnb property where Pop Smoke was staying prior to the home invasion and murder. He and the three others charged in the case returned with ski masks, a 9mm firearm, and a different vehicle. Walker was 19 at the time of the shooting, while the other defendants were 15, 16, and 17 at the time. Walker was not the one who pulled the trigger and said he only learned of the shooting after the three accomplices returned the vehicle he was waiting in. The 15-year-old was allegedly the one who pulled the trigger.
The three juvenile defendants reportedly ambushed Pop Smoke while he was in the shower. He allegedly instructed the three others not to fire the weapon he provided one of them with and said they should use "a flower vase" rather than opening fire. "It was only after the robbers exited the house and reentered the vehicle that [Walker] learned of the shooting," reads a court filing. "In response, [Walker] assaulted the shooter."
To pay tribute to the Canarsie, Brooklyn, rapper who was tragically murdered in Los Angeles five years ago this week, Complex decided to dig into the vault and pull out any Pop Smoke-related material. We discovered interviews with several people who offer valuable insight into Pop Smoke as a recording artist. They break down his creative process, share his quirks, and recall memorable stories along the way.