Lawyers involved in the case of two individuals charged with murdering a local rapper due to a diss track concluded their opening arguments to the jury on Wednesday night.
Charles McCormick Jr., also recognized as ‘Lil Buck,’ was fatally shot in 2020 during what authorities think was a gang-related incident near an Arlington mall.
Hakeem Robinson, also referred to as Ksoo, and Leroy Whitaker are facing trial simultaneously with individual juries.
Robinson is charged with
- First-degree murder committed by a member of a criminal gang
While Whitaker faces charges of
- First-degree murder committed by a member of a criminal gang,
- burglary involving assault or battery
- home invasion robbery
Both Robinson and Whitaker are said to be associated with the ATK gang.
Authorities claim that Robinson and Whitaker attempted to kill McCormick Jr. due to a rap song he released that criticized the late rapper Willie Addision (Big Goon), who is also Robinson’s half-brother.
During the opening arguments, the lawyers for both Robinson and Whitaker suggested that the state’s evidence in this case stemmed from plea agreements, including those involving Robinson’s father, Abdul Robinson Sr., and suspect Dominique Barner.
“You’re going to find out that Blue (Abdul Robinson Sr.) isn’t new to working with the police. He’s done this before. So he has knowledge. He understands that when he’s in trouble and caught, if I say what the government wants to hear, I can be released. He’s done it before and he’ll do it again in this court,” said Tara Kawass, the defense attorney for Hakeem Robinson.
What you’ll discover is that Dominique Barner arrived on January 15th, and he shared just enough about himself to be released from this case,” said Julie Schlax, attorney for Leroy Whitaker. “They allowed him to leave.
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During the prosecution’s opening remarks, Assistant State Attorney Joel Cooper stated that the evidence will reveal the reason for the murder.
“This was a group of people who knew each other, were close, and considered themselves a family. Every person involved in this crime was part of ATK, the local rap group. All but one were related by blood,” said Joel Cooper, Assistant State Attorney.
Day 4 of the trial will take place tomorrow. Action News Jax will be present in the courtroom.
