Jacksonville rapper ‘Ksoo’, cousin request new trials after murder convictions

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville rapper Hakeem “Ksoo” Robinson was supposed to find out on Monday when he will be sentenced for the 2020 first-degree murder of 23-year-old Charles “Lil Buck” McCormick Jr.

Instead, Robinson will be back in court Tuesday afternoon as his attorneys argue that he deserves a new trial.

Robinson’s cousin, Leroy Whitaker Jr., who was found guilty of first-degree murder and burglary in the same case, is also asking for a new trial.

In their motion, Robinson’s attorneys lay out several reasons they believe he deserves a new trial.

They argue that the iCloud notes admitted during the trial were “highly prejudicial” and not related to the charges against Robinson, so the judge should have excluded them.

The motion also points out that one of the officers who testified about the day of the shooting changed his testimony “on a critical identification issue” — the much-debated height of the suspect he was chasing — and that prosecutors didn’t alert the defense about the change in testimony before the trial.

The height of the suspect was a key element in Robinson’s defense, as his attorneys argued that Robinson’s 6 feet, 2 inch height is vastly different from the 5-5 to 5-9 height reported multiple times by witnesses and law enforcement on the day of the shooting.

The judge did rule on this issue when it was brought up by the defense during the trial but found that the prosecution not disclosing the change was “inadvertent and not prejudicial.”

“This was not harmless. The change erased one of the defense’s most powerful exculpatory points and instead bolstered the State’s identification theory,” Robinson’s attorneys argue.

Robinson’s motion for a new trial also cites “misuse of state demonstratives and improper expert testimony,” arguing that jurors treated visuals used by witnesses to explain their testimony as if they were evidence, even though they were not admitted as evidence.

Robinson’s attorneys argue that during jury selection, the state was allowed to use visual aids, but the defense was not, making the process inherently unfair.

The defense says that given what it calls serious errors in the trial—admitting very prejudicial iCloud notes, the State’s failure to disclose a major change in an officer’s testimony, the improper use of demonstratives and expert testimony, and the unequal treatment during jury selection—the court should have an evidentiary hearing so the full impact of the errors can be shown.

Whitaker’s attorney, Julie Schlax, also filed a motion for a new trial, saying, among other arguments, that the court should have explained “the doctrine of Independent Act” to the jury, that the court allowed a prejudicial photo despite defense objections, and that the judge allowed “inadmissible hearsay.”

Robinson’s brother, Abdul Robinson Jr., is also charged in McCormick’s murder and will be tried separately.

Trial recap

The high-profile murder case drew national attention amid deep tensions in Jacksonville’s rap and gang communities.

According to testimony from their father, both Robinson brothers 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.

But the defense countered, saying the case wasn’t about gang retaliation — it was about prosecutors misinterpreting music and turning performers into criminals.

“Posting ‘Bye Bye Bye,’ that could just be a reflection of him disliking the guy,” Robinson’s attorney Christopher Decoste said.

Decoste also questioned why McCormick could rap about Addison’s death without being treated as a suspect, but Robinson’s lyrics were being used against him.

Dominique “Butta” Barner, who was offered a plea deal, testified about being the getaway driver on the day of the shooting. Barner and Robinson’s father, Abdul Robinson Sr., both said that Hakeem Robinson wanted to kill McCormick over the diss song.

Smith summarized his investigation into McCormick’s death, explaining how he said he used surveillance video, dash cam video, witness accounts, and evidence — including shell casings, weapons, a stolen car, cellphone records and social media accounts — to identify McCormick’s killers.

Prosecutors also had witnesses testify about the day of the shooting in Dames Pointe Plaza on Merrill Road, which took place as McCormick was leaving a staffing agency after receiving his job assignment.

An off-duty JSO officer, another state witness, testified that minutes after the shooting, he saw a silver Nissan speed away from the scene.

He followed the car, later identifying a man in all black getting out, possibly holding a rifle. But the defense said neither witness could see the shooter’s face and questioned their descriptions.

Another woman who took the stand described finding two men standing in her Arlington home. She said they held her down and didn’t let her leave, then took clothes and a cellphone from the home before getting into a Charger-style vehicle.

She described the two men as “tattoo dude” and “squirrelly dude.” She said the man with the tattoos had “1993″ tattooed on his arm.

She identified Barner, who was born in 1993, but said she never saw the other man’s face. Prosecutors say that was Whitaker.

On the stand, Hakeem Robinson’s father identified him as a person captured in a video recording of the shooting, but his sister said it wasn’t him in the video.

A still image from a video shows Hakeem “Ksoo” Robinson chasing after a man that he murdered, according to prosecutors and testimony from a man who said he was the getaway driver. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)

“Hell no,” his sister said when she saw the video. “I call him fat, sloth-footed, two left feet. I call him stocky and tall — he’s a giant to me.”

Her description painted a different picture from what witnesses said of the shooter on Jan. 15, 2020.

Witnesses, including one of the JSO officers who chased the alleged shooter, described McCormick’s killer as 5 feet, 8 inches to 5 feet, 9 inches tall and slender.

Again, defense attorneys pointed out throughout the trial that Hakeem Robinson stands well over 6 feet.

But the state argued that size descriptions might have varied on the day of the shooting because the shooter was in motion, and it was a chaotic scene.

“Remember, the shooter isn’t going to stop and say, ‘Measure me.’ He’s running and gunning,” prosecutors said during closing arguments.

Neither Hakeem Robinson nor Whitaker testified in their own defense.

Whitaker’s jury deliberated for a little less than two hours, and Robinson’s jury — made up of seven white women and five white men — deliberated for almost four hours.

Both men were found guilty.

State Attorney Melissa Nelson released a statement on the guilty verdicts of Robinson and Whitaker.

Five years ago, Hakeem Robinson and Leroy Whitaker stalked a man and gunned him down in broad daylight because of disputes and drill rap. Today, a jury held them accountable for their brazen crimes. This was an incredible effort by law enforcement and our team that takes two killers off our streets. Thank you to the jury for their time and dedication.

State Attorney Melissa Nelson

Hakeem Robinson is facing a separate murder trial for the 2019 shooting death of 16-year-old Adrian “Lil Bibby” Gainer Jr.

Jacksonville rapper ‘Ksoo’, cousin request new trials after murder convictions

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