The sole adult suspect charged with murdering Pop Smoke insists he did not intend for the rapper to get killed.
Corey Walker, 20, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday as his defense lawyer, Christopher Darden, filed a motion to dismiss his murder and robbery charges, claiming that Walker was opposed to any violence before Pop Smoke was fatally shot during a home invasion robbery on Feb. 19, 2020.
“It is clear from the evidence that [Walker] did not enter the house, was not armed, and did not personally kill the victim. Moreover, the evidence is clear that the defendant did not share the actual killer’s intent to kill,” Darden wrote in the filing, obtained by Rolling Stone.
Walker allegedly insisted that “if it became necessary for the suspects to defend themselves, they should use a flower vase rather than shoot someone.” Darden said his client “did not plan this crime” and “was careful to insist that his weapon” not be fired.
Walker reportedly “assaulted” the gunman upon learning of the shooting.
Prosecutors say Walker and four others intended to rob Pop Smoke of his cash, gold chain, and diamond Rolex after seeing it on social media. The Brooklyn rapper was taking a shower in his rented Hollywood Hills home when the masked assailants confronted him. He was allegedly killed by a suspect who was just 15 years old at the time.
A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3. Walker’s trial is expected to last four weeks.