Relatives of the sole adult suspect awaiting trial in the murder of Pop Smoke are hoping to speak with the slain rapper’s family.
According to the New York Daily News, the family of Corey Walker, 20–one of four defendants named in the murder of Pop Smoke–wants to speak to Pop Smoke’s parents privately to convey their sympathy and heartbreak.
“The Walker family has asked me to contact the victim’s family so that they might speak privately. I hope to reach out to the family soon,” said Walker’s defense lawyer, Christopher Darden.
Pop Smoke’s mother, a teacher with the New York City Department of Education, was undecided on how she would respond to such a request.
“This is new information to me. I’ll have to learn more,” Audrey Jackson said Thursday. “I’m working on a lesson plan right now. That is my focus. I really can’t say.”
Darden said he understood “how uncomfortable such a conversation might be” for Pop Smoke’s parents. “They might need time,” he said. “I will also understand if [his mom] is not inclined to have that conversation. Everything we have done and said has been done and said while keeping in mind the great respect we have for the victim and the victim’s family.”
Walker’s rearraignment in the murder case has been postponed until July 6. During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors claimed Walker scouted Pop Smoke’s house prior to the deadly robbery and knew his co-defendants planned to rob the rapper at gunpoint to obtain items they saw on Instagram including a gold link chain and diamond-studded Rolex, which the defendants allegedly resold for $2,000.
While Walker might have been the driver that night, Darden said he never entered the house. “My client did not kill anyone. Nor did he conspire to commit murder,” he said.
A 15-year-old gunman, the youngest of the four defendants, is accused of firing shots that killed Pop Smoke during the home invasion robbery at his rented Hollywood Hills mansion on Feb. 19, 2020. He allegedly admitted to shooting the rapper during a recorded interview with a cellmate.