{"id":212757,"date":"2025-09-09T12:04:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T12:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/212757\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T12:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T12:04:10","slug":"jacksonville-rapper-ksoo-cousin-request-new-trials-after-murder-convictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/212757\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville rapper \u2018Ksoo\u2019, cousin request new trials after murder convictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 Jacksonville rapper Hakeem \u201cKsoo\u201d Robinson<\/a> was supposed to find out on Monday when he will be sentenced for the 2020 first-degree murder of 23-year-old Charles \u201cLil Buck\u201d McCormick Jr<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead, Robinson will be back in court Tuesday afternoon as his attorneys argue that he deserves a new trial.<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s cousin, Leroy Whitaker Jr., who was found guilty of first-degree murder and burglary in the same cas<\/a>e, is also asking for a new trial.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>Complete coverage of Hakeem Robinson murder trial<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

In their motion, Robinson\u2019s attorneys lay out several reasons they believe he deserves a new trial.<\/p>\n

They argue that the iCloud notes admitted during the trial were \u201chighly prejudicial\u201d and not related to the charges against Robinson, so the judge should have excluded them.<\/p>\n

The motion also points out that one of the officers who testified about the day of the shooting changed his testimony \u201con a critical identification issue\u201d — the much-debated height of the suspect he was chasing — and that prosecutors didn\u2019t alert the defense about the change in testimony before the trial.<\/p>\n

The height of the suspect was a key element in Robinson\u2019s defense, as his attorneys argued that Robinson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cinadvertent and not prejudicial.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was not harmless. The change erased one of the defense\u2019s most powerful exculpatory points and instead bolstered the State\u2019s identification theory,\u201d Robinson\u2019s attorneys argue.<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s motion for a new trial also cites \u201cmisuse of state demonstratives and improper expert testimony,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s attorneys argue that during jury selection, the state was allowed to use visual aids, but the defense was not, making the process inherently unfair.<\/p>\n

The defense says that given what it calls serious errors in the trial\u2014admitting very prejudicial iCloud notes, the State\u2019s failure to disclose a major change in an officer\u2019s testimony, the improper use of demonstratives and expert testimony, and the unequal treatment during jury selection\u2014the court should have an evidentiary hearing so the full impact of the errors can be shown.<\/p>\n

Whitaker\u2019s attorney, Julie Schlax, also filed a motion for a new trial, saying, among other arguments, that the court should have explained \u201cthe doctrine of Independent Act\u201d to the jury, that the court allowed a prejudicial photo despite defense objections, and that the judge allowed \u201cinadmissible hearsay.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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

The high-profile murder case drew national attention amid deep tensions in Jacksonville\u2019s rap and gang communities.<\/p>\n

According to testimony from their father<\/a>, both Robinson brothers were members of the group ATK and were enemies with a rival group, 6Block, of which McCormick was a member. <\/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

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

Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office Sgt. Christopher Smith, the lead investigator in the McCormick murder case, acknowledged on the stand that the rap song \u201cKsoo Homicide\u201d<\/a> 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, saying the case wasn\u2019t about gang retaliation \u2014 it was 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 were being used against him.<\/p>\n

Dominique \u201cButta\u201d Barner, who was offered a plea deal, testified about being the getaway driver on the day of the shooting. Barner and Robinson\u2019s father, Abdul Robinson Sr., both said that Hakeem Robinson wanted to kill McCormick over the diss song.<\/p>\n

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

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

An off-duty JSO officer, another state witness, testified that minutes after the shooting, 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 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 Barner, who was born in 1993, but said she never saw the other man\u2019s face. Prosecutors say that was Whitaker.<\/p>\n

On the stand, Hakeem Robinson\u2019s father identified him as a person captured in a video recording of the shooting, but his sister said it wasn\u2019t him in the video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.)<\/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 painted 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. <\/p>\n

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

Neither Hakeem Robinson nor Whitaker testified in their own defense.<\/p>\n

Whitaker\u2019s jury deliberated for a little less than two hours, and Robinson\u2019s jury — made up of seven white women and five white men — deliberated for almost four hours.<\/p>\n

Both men were found guilty.<\/p>\n

RELATED | <\/b>\u2018This is my child\u2019: Father speaks after his son was found guilty in murder trial<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

State Attorney Melissa Nelson released a statement on the guilty verdicts of Robinson and Whitaker.<\/p>\n

\n

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.<\/p>\n

State Attorney Melissa Nelson<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hakeem Robinson is facing 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 Jacksonville rapper Hakeem \u201cKsoo\u201d Robinson was supposed to find out on Monday when he will…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":91077,"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-212757","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\/115174248755776127","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212757","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=212757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}