On Monday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced that four teenagers have been charged with the murder of Pop Smoke.
Two of the accused are technically adults, aged 19 and 18, while the other two are 17 and 15. Because the fatal shooting of the late rapper (who's real name is Bashar Jackson) occurred during the commission of a robbery and burglary, the two older teens will be eligible for the death penalty. At this time prosecutors have yet to reach a decision on whether they'll actually seek capital punishment.
That decision will come at a later date.
As is the standard for reporting on juveniles, the two younger suspects were not named. As for the older two, they've been identified as 19-year-old Corey Walker, and 18-year-old Keandre Rogers. Even without capital punishment being imposed, Walker and Rogers could still get life in prison without parole if convicted. The 15-year-old and 17-year-old suspects will be tried in juvenile court on charges of murder and and robbery.
Just three days ago it was reported that five people, including the four who were charged on Monday, had been arrested in connection with the murder, which occurred earlier this year during a home invasion in a Hollywood Hills, California mansion that Jackson was renting.
"Early this morning, search and arrest warrants were served in several locations in the city of Los Angeles," stated a spokesperson for the LAPD this past weekend. "The warrants were all related to the February 19 murder of Bashar Jackson, also known as Pop Smoke. Robbery-Homicide Division has three adult males and two juvenile males in custody. Once they are questioned and completely booked, we will be able to provide the booking information."
Authorities investigating the crime say that they discovered that members from a Los Angeles street gang were involved with the murder of Jackson, and that those gang members also had involvement with the murder of an 18-year-old named Kamryn Stone.
Stone was murdered last September in Pasadena following a confrontation in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl.
Both cases remain under investigation at this time.
