{"id":107527,"date":"2025-07-31T12:28:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T12:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/107527\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T12:28:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T12:28:10","slug":"closing-arguments-to-wrap-up-as-jury-prepares-to-begin-deliberations-in-murder-trial-for-jacksonville-rapper-cousin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/107527\/","title":{"rendered":"Closing arguments to wrap up as jury prepares to begin deliberations in murder trial for Jacksonville rapper, cousin"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 Closing arguments are expected to wrap up Thursday in the trial against Jacksonville rapper<\/a> Hakeem \u201cKsoo\u201d Robinson and his cousin, Leroy Whitaker Jr., in the 2020 shooting death of 23-year-old Charles \u201cLil Buck\u201d McCormick Jr. <\/p>\n

Two juries have been seated \u2014 one for each defendant \u2014 and they will hear the defense closing arguments and prosecution rebuttals separately.<\/p>\n

News4JAX will stream the court proceedings live. Press play above to watch, starting at 9 a.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

The juries could begin deliberations by Thursday afternoon in the high-profile murder case that has drawn national attention amid deep tensions in the city\u2019s rap and gang communities. <\/p>\n

Size matters?<\/b><\/p>\n

Wednesday marked a chaotic day in court that left Judge Tatiana Salvador visibly frustrated \u2014 from a two-hour delay because of disputes over whether certain witnesses could testify for the defense to technical issues with audio during witness testimonies.<\/p>\n

And in a surprising twist, someone from the Robinson family was banned from the courtroom after live-streaming testimony from a witness who had requested not to be shown on camera.<\/p>\n

Hakeem Robinson\u2019s sister countered testimony from his father earlier this week, saying that a person captured in a video recording showing the deadly shooting was not her brother, Hakeem.<\/p>\n

\u201cHell no,\u201d his sister said when she saw the video. \u201cI call him fat, sloth-footed, two left feet. I call him stocky and tall \u2014 he\u2019s a giant to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her description paints a different picture from what witnesses said of the shooter on Jan. 15, 2020.<\/p>\n

Witnesses, including one of the JSO officers who chased the alleged shooter, described McCormick\u2019s killer as 5 feet, 8 inches to 5 feet, 9 inches tall and slender. Hakeem Robinson is 6-3.<\/p>\n

Another witness who knows Hakeem Robinson through the music industry also said the person captured in the video was not the 26-year-old, known as Jacksonville rapper \u201cKsoo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another JSO officer also testified about Robinson\u2019s size, which has been a key point of contention for the defense.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember, the shooter isn\u2019t going to stop and say, \u2018Measure me.\u2019 He\u2019s running and gunning,\u201d prosecutors said during closing arguments.<\/p>\n

The state also said that Robinson might have gained weight since the shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cHakeem Robinson of January 2020, there are questions about the photograph when he was arrested, of what he looked like. He got arrested in September of 2020, what he looks like really doesn\u2019t matter. You know what matters, what he looked like on Jan. 15, 2020,\u201d the prosecutors said.<\/p>\n

Hakeem Robinson and Leroy Whitaker Jr. both declined to testify in their own defense, which is their right. Attorneys for Leroy Whitaker, 24, opted not to call any witnesses on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s brother, Abdul Robinson Jr., is also charged with McCormick\u2019s murder and will be tried separately. <\/p>\n

Motive for murder?<\/b><\/p>\n

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. (More on the father\u2019s testimony below<\/b>)<\/p>\n

According to prosecutors, the motive for McCormick\u2019s murder involved a \u201cdiss\u201d track McCormick had created about Abdul Robinson Sr.\u2019s stepson, Willie Addison, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2019.<\/p>\n

Rap lyrics took center stage on Tuesday as the defense pushed back, arguing the evidence against Hakeem Robinson is thin and accusing prosecutors of confusing Jacksonville drill rap with real-life violence.<\/p>\n

Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office Sgt. Christopher Smith, the lead investigator in the McCormick murder case, acknowledged on the stand Tuesday that the rap song \u201cKsoo Homicide\u201d and an Instagram post with McCormick\u2019s photo and the words \u201cbye bye\u201d were both considered key pieces of evidence in his investigation. <\/p>\n

But the defense countered during cross-examination, saying this case isn\u2019t about gang retaliation \u2014 it\u2019s about prosecutors misinterpreting music and turning performers into criminals.<\/p>\n

\u201cPosting \u2018Bye Bye Bye,\u2019 that could just be a reflection of him disliking the guy,\u201d Robinson\u2019s attorney Christopher Decoste said.<\/p>\n

Decoste also questioned why McCormick could rap about Addison\u2019s death without being treated as a suspect, but Robinson\u2019s lyrics are being used against him.<\/p>\n

Decoste: “Charles McCormick, was he rapping about something he was never involved in?”<\/p>\n

Smith: \u201cI can\u2019t say he had any involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decoste: \u201cYou can\u2019t say, so it\u2019s OK for Charles McCormick, but it\u2019s not OK for my client.\u201d<\/p>\n

Investigation recap<\/b><\/p>\n

Smith was called Tuesday as the state\u2019s final witness, as he detailed how he said he identified Hakeem Robinson, Abdul Robinson Jr., Leroy Whitaker and Dominique \u201cButta\u201d Barner as the suspects in McCormick\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n

Barner, 31, was offered a plea deal after admitting to driving the car on the day McCormick was killed and testified Friday against Hakeem Robinson and Whitaker. (More on Barner\u2019s testimony below<\/b>)<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Smith summarized his investigation into McCormick\u2019s 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\u2019s killers.<\/p>\n

Charles McCormick (Lil Buck) (Screenshot via Instagram)<\/p>\n

Smith acknowledged that the murder weapon was never found, but said a woman who was a victim of a home invasion that day identified Barner as one of her attackers. <\/p>\n

He also testified that Barner\u2019s DNA and Whitaker\u2019s DNA were found in connection with that home invasion, which took place after the pair ran from the scene of a car crash, following a police pursuit from the shooting scene.<\/p>\n

Whitaker\u2019s attorney, Julie Schlax, worked to poke holes in Smith\u2019s testimony about the investigation by pointing out that neither Whitaker nor Hakeem Robinson was directly involved in the shooting that left Addison dead, while Abdul Robinson Jr. was. <\/p>\n

Schlax pointed out that he was among several other people, including his father, Abdul Robinson Sr., who was injured in the shooting that killed Addison.<\/p>\n

Father testifies<\/b><\/p>\n

Abdul Robinson Sr., also known as \u201cBlue,\u201d took the stand Monday afternoon to testify against his 26-year-old son on behalf of the state. <\/p>\n

When the prosecutor asked Robinson Sr. who most wanted to go after McCormick because of the diss song, the 54-year-old said his sons, Hakeem Robinson and Abdul Robinson Jr.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t like it,\u201d he said about the song.<\/p>\n

In a dramatic moment on the stand, Robinson Sr. was asked if he recognized the person captured in a video recording showing the shooting of McCormick on Jan. 15, 2020. (Watch the video below<\/b>)<\/p>\n

Robinson Sr. took a long pause, appeared to get emotional, and said, \u201cMy son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your son\u2019s name?\u201d the prosecutor asked. <\/p>\n

\u201cHakeem,\u201d he responded.<\/p>\n

A still image from a video shows a man who some witnesses say is Hakeem “Ksoo” Robinson chasing after a man whom he murdered. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Robinson Sr., who was arrested Sept. 10, 2020, and accused of helping Whitaker and Barner escape after the shooting, said cooperating in the case and testifying against his son and nephew is the \u201chardest decision I\u2019ve had to make in my life.\u201d <\/p>\n

He acknowledged that testifying in the case against his son and his nephew will make his life harder both in and out of jail. <\/p>\n

A defense attorney asked Robinson Sr. to clarify what he is 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. <\/p>\n

The attorney for Hakeem Robinson painted Robinson Sr. as someone who was taking a deal to save himself. <\/p>\n

Whitaker\u2019s father was in court last week and said he wants people to be held accountable, but he wants to see evidence. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are just going to wait for the outcome and see how it\u2019s going to be. I\u2019m going to keep my head up and my chest out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Getaway driver testifies<\/b><\/p>\n

The star witness for the prosecution, Dominique \u201cButta\u201d Barner, took the stand last Friday. <\/p>\n

Again, Barner was offered a plea deal after admitting to driving the car on the day McCormick was killed. Like Robinson Sr., Barner testified that Hakeem Robinson wanted to kill McCormick over the diss song, which was played for the jury in court on Friday.<\/p>\n

RELATED | Jail phone calls from man expected to testify against Jacksonville rapper \u2018Ksoo\u2019 in murder trial released to defense<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Barner said he found McCormick\u2019s address on the Duval County Clerk of Courts website and later drove by his apartment along with Abdul Robinson Jr., Hakeem Robinson, and Whitaker.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors asked why they wanted to know where McCormick lived. <\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, so we can, you know, handle up after that,\u201d Barner said. \u201cGet everything in motion, like set something up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo accomplish what?\u201d the prosecutor asked. <\/p>\n

\u201cKill McCormick,\u201d Barner responded. <\/p>\n

Barner then testified that on the day McCormick was killed, he, Hakeem Robinson and Whitaker waited for hours outside McCormick\u2019s apartment and then followed him to a shopping plaza in a stolen Nissan Altima. <\/p>\n

He testified in detail about what he said happened next. <\/p>\n

Barner said he parked near McCormick\u2019s car and came up with a plan for Hakeem Robinson to shoot McCormick when he got back into his car to leave, so they could escape quickly. But Hakeem Robinson didn\u2019t wait, Barner said. <\/p>\n

Right when McCormick came out of the staffing agency, Hakeem Robinson jumped out of the car and started shooting at McCormick as he tried to run away, Barner testified.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did Hakeem Robinson do?\u201d the prosecutor asked. <\/p>\n

\u201cChased him,\u201d Barner said. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then did what?\u201d the prosecutor asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cKilled him,\u201d Barner said.<\/p>\n

Booking photo of Dominique Barner (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n

Barner said he didn\u2019t actually see Hakeem Robinson kill McCormick because they ran around the side of the building. <\/p>\n

Barner testified that McCormick was killed exactly one year after Addison\u2019s murder. <\/p>\n

Barner said after the shooting, he sped off with Hakeem Robinson and Whitaker, but a police officer quickly spotted them, and a chase ensued. <\/p>\n

Barner said he eventually crashed in the area of Townsend Boulevard, and all three jumped out of the car, leaving guns behind, as evidenced in crime scene photographs. <\/p>\n

Hakeem Robinson went one way, and Barner and Whitaker went another way, jumping fences and eventually ending up in a woman\u2019s house, he said.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Barner testified that after briefly holding the woman hostage, he and Whitaker were picked up by Abdul Robinson Sr. On the way to his house, they told him what happened, Barner said.<\/p>\n

Abdul Robinson Sr., also known as “Blue,” testifies against his son, Hakeem Robinson, in his murder trial. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Barner was arrested later that day and accused of the home invasion. <\/p>\n

On cross-examination, defense attorneys questioned Barner\u2019s credibility and keyed in on the fact that Barner lied to police when he was first brought in for questioning and didn\u2019t tell them about the shooting and denied taking anything from the home when he was trying to escape.<\/p>\n

Defense attorneys also had Barner testify that he took a plea deal in two murder cases and testified to avoid life sentences, and now could be sentenced to 20 years. <\/p>\n

Schlax, Whitaker\u2019s attorney, said Barner is a well-known paid assassin who is known to testify and cut deals with the state.<\/p>\n

During opening statements, Hakeem Robinson\u2019s attorney, Tara Kawass, claimed that it was actually Barner, not Robinson, who planned and orchestrated the murder <\/p>\n

\u2018I didn\u2019t know anything\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

A woman who dated a cousin of Hakeem Robinson and Abdul Robinson Jr. testified on Friday that she drove to pick up Hakeem Robinson at an apartment complex in Arlington the day McCormick was murdered.<\/p>\n

Trio charged in murder trial of Charles McCormick trial delayed until summer. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

She told the state she was woken up from her sleep by her boyfriend and found Adul Robinson Jr. also in her Arlington home, which is about a mile away from the shopping plaza where McCormick was murdered. <\/p>\n

She then said she was asked to pick up Hakeem Robinson from the apartment complex on Arlington Expressway, which she says she did, then drove back to her home without speaking with Hakeem Robinson, before going back to bed. <\/p>\n

She said she stopped dating her boyfriend shortly after this happened. <\/p>\n

The woman was then cross-examined by Schlax, who emphasized the witness never spent any time with Whitaker, although she knew who he was. <\/p>\n

RELATED | <\/b>Jacksonville rappers are making music videos about real murders. Police and the mothers of victims are watching<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

During cross-examination, Decoste, Hakeem Robinson\u2019s attorney, pointed out that the woman never went to the police after the murder, and it was not until April of 2022 that the witness claimed she knew something about the case, after receiving a subpoena from the State Attorney\u2019s Office. <\/p>\n

The attorney also pressed the woman on what she knew about the events that unfolded on the day of the murder. <\/p>\n

Attorney: \u201cWhen did you know that there was a murder? You had to have known when you saw the news later that day. Within 24 hours, you knew that the murder happened, and it involved your boyfriend, right?<\/p>\n

Woman: \u201cI didn\u2019t know for sure. I just saw the death of Charles McCormick on the news.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney: \u201cAt the strip mall right around from your house, right, the one where you claim you heard gunshots from your house, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Woman: \u201cI never said I heard any gunshots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney: \u201cBecause you were asleep all morning, right, and can\u2019t testify to anything that happened at your house before you woke up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Woman: \u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney: \u201cBut you picked up the shooter and you helped him get away, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Woman: \u201cI picked up Hakeem Robinson, that\u2019s who I picked up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney: \u201cAnd they\u2019re claiming he is the shooter, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Woman: \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney: \u201cYou picked him up and helped him get away and evade capture?\u201d<\/p>\n

Woman: \u201cI guess, if that\u2019s what you want to say. I was just picking somebody up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney: \u201cBecause if you claim you didn\u2019t know anything, then you can\u2019t get charged with accessory after the fact, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Woman: \u201cI didn\u2019t know anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Witnesses describe day of shooting<\/b><\/p>\n

A woman who worked at the staffing agency at the Dames Pointe Plaza on Merrill Road, where McCormick was shot, testified last week, describing the moments leading up to the shooting. McCormick had just left the business after receiving his job assignment and walked to his car, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs he was leaving, there was an individual approaching. As he proceeded to walk off of the sidewalk, he recognized someone coming towards him. He looked back and turned and started to take off running,\u201d the witness said. <\/p>\n

Prosecutors then played the frantic 911 call made by that witness, who described a shooter wearing a black mask and skull cap running across the parking lot. She also said McCormick was lying on the ground and not moving. <\/p>\n

Despite the moment of chaos, the caller said she caught a glimpse of the shooter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a mask on, he has a skull cap, he\u2019s running across the parking lot,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

An off-duty JSO officer, another state witness, testified that minutes later, he saw a silver Nissan speed away from the scene.<\/p>\n

RELATED | Attorney for Jacksonville rapper \u2018Ksoo\u2019 may seek civil suit due to alleged jail conditions<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2019s face and questioned their descriptions.<\/p>\n

Another woman who took the stand last Thursday described finding two men standing in her Arlington home. She said they held her down and didn\u2019t let her leave, then took clothes and a cellphone from the home before getting into a Charger-style vehicle. <\/p>\n

She described the two men as \u201ctattoo dude\u201d and \u201csquirrelly dude.\u201d She said the man with the tattoos had \u201c1993\u2033 tattooed on his arm. <\/p>\n

She identified Dominique Barner, who was born in 1993, but said she never saw the other man\u2019s face. Prosecutors say that was Whitaker.<\/p>\n

Technical testimony<\/b><\/p>\n

On Monday, an FBI expert gave the jury a technical tutorial about how cellphones work with towers, how that information is recorded by cellphone companies, and how those records can be used by investigators to pinpoint the relative locations of cellphones. The expert could not definitively put Hakeem Robinson\u2019s phone in the area of the shooting on that day.<\/p>\n

He was followed by a Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office latent fingerprint examiner, who testified that a print lifted from the slide of a gun found in the stolen Nissan matched Hakeem Robinson.<\/p>\n

During cross-examination, Robinson\u2019s attorney clarified with the fingerprint examiner that she could not testify as to when Hakeem Robinson left the print on the gun.<\/p>\n

A certified forensic video examiner who assisted in the McCormick case also testified last week, explaining that a forensic video review of a dash cam that recorded the murder excluded Barner and Whitaker as possible candidates for the shooter but could not exclude Hakeem Ronbinson.<\/p>\n

Again, defense attorneys have argued that Hakeem Robinson stands well over 6 feet, while multiple witnesses estimated the gunman was much shorter.<\/p>\n

Kinematic model conducted by Complete Digital Forensic Solutions comparing scale models of Hakeem Robinson, Leroy Whitaker and Dominique Barner to dash cam video of the shooter. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

After the McCormick trial concludes, Hakeem Robinson will face a separate murder trial for the 2019 shooting death of 16-year-old Adrian \u201cLil Bibby\u201d Gainer Jr<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Closing arguments are expected to wrap up Thursday in the trial against Jacksonville rapper Hakeem…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":107528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[52048,52049,5229,52053,52052,3188,723,52055,52047,7310,52054,52050,52051,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-107527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-abdul-robinson-jr","9":"tag-abdul-robinson-sr","10":"tag-america","11":"tag-atk","12":"tag-charles-mccormick","13":"tag-fl","14":"tag-florida","15":"tag-foolio","16":"tag-hakeem-robinson","17":"tag-jacksonville","18":"tag-ktas","19":"tag-lil-bibby","20":"tag-lil-buck","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-united-states-of-america","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","25":"tag-us","26":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114947851168191107","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}