The father of Jacksonville rapper Hakeem “Ksoo” Robinson will be sentenced on Friday in connection with the 2020 shooting death of 23-year-old Charles “Lil Buck” McCormick Jr.
Abdul Robinson Sr., who was arrested in September 2020, pleaded guilty to helping his nephew Leroy Whitaker and Dominique “Butta” Barner escape after the shooting.
Barner will also be sentenced on Friday morning. He also accepted a plea deal.
Robinson Sr.’s and Barner’s sentencing comes almost four months after they testified in the murder trial of Hakeem Robinson and Whitaker, who were ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of McCormick Jr. and later sentenced to life in prison.
In October, Abdul Robinson Jr., Hakeem Robinson’s brother, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact in connection with the ambush murder.
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Abdul Robinson Sr., also known as “Blue,” said cooperating in the case and testifying against his son and nephew was the “hardest decision I’ve had to make in my life.”
When he testified, a defense attorney asked Robinson Sr. to clarify what he was receiving in exchange for his testimony as part of a plea deal. He said he will now face a maximum of 20 years in prison instead of a potential maximum of 60 years.
The high-profile murder case drew national attention amid deep tensions in Jacksonville’s rap and gang communities.
According to testimony from their father, his sons Hakeem and Abdul Robinson Jr. were members of the group ATK and were enemies with a rival group, 6Block, of which McCormick was a member.
According to prosecutors, the motive for McCormick’s murder involved a “diss” track McCormick had created about Abdul Robinson Sr.’s stepson, Willie Addison, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2019.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Christopher Smith, the lead investigator in the McCormick murder case, acknowledged on the stand that the rap song “Ksoo Homicide” and an Instagram post with McCormick’s photo and the words “bye bye” were both considered key pieces of evidence in his investigation.
Barner testified about being the getaway driver on the day of the shooting. Barner and Abdul Robinson Sr. both said that Hakeem Robinson wanted to kill McCormick over the diss song.
Abdul Robinson Sr. also identified Hakeem Robinson as the person captured in a video recording of the shooting, but his sister said it wasn’t him in the video.
Neither Hakeem Robinson nor Whitaker testified in their own defense.
Abdul Robinson Sr. and Barner are the last to be sentenced in the case. Their hearing is set for 9 a.m. Friday in Duval County.
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