TSR Exclusive Video: Corey Walker, one of the four men accused of murdering Pop Smoke in a stupid robbery turned murder, returned to court today to submit a plea after we exclusively reported that prosecutors were considering dropping the death penalty. The Shade Room was back in court this morning when prosecutors said they needed more time to prepare their paperwork, effectively delaying Walker’s arraignment until late August. But that wasn’t the only thing that happened.
Walker and his attorney agreed to a later court date, and his attorney stated that a bond hearing would be scheduled for the same date in August. Judge Sergio C. Tapia II informed Walker’s lawyer that he would need to file the necessary papers for such a hearing. The District Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles stated it will not seek the death penalty in this case, although as we have reported, the maximum sentence is life without the chance of parole. Deputy District Attorney Hilary Williams declined to comment on why her office opted not to seek the death sentence when we met with her today.
We also contacted Walker’s attorney, Christopher Darden, but have yet to receive a response regarding the requested bail hearing. Walker, who was 20 at the time of Pop Smoke’s death, was the only adult suspect. In February of 2020, he and three adolescent guys are accused of killing Pop Smoke during a heist. Williams said at a preliminary hearing that Walker had scouted the residence hours before and knew the youths planned to rob Pop Smoke at gunpoint to get the ice he flaunted on Instagram earlier that day.“They specifically target this house wanting this victim to be there,” Williams said, saying Walker’s actions showed a “reckless indifference to human life.”
