JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hakeem Robinson, known to some as Jacksonville rapper “Ksoo,” was back in court Wednesday morning for a pretrial hearing in his murder trial.
Co-defendants Abdul Robinson Jr. and Leroy Whittaker are also charged in the 2020 murder of 23-year-old Charles McCormick Jr.
Whittaker and Robinson Jr. were also in court Wednesday morning for pretrial hearings.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Hakeem Robinson’s attorney told the court there was new discovery material. The attorney said that “a bunch of phone calls were dumped” on the defense and they were recorded phone calls of Dominique Barner aka “Butta” in jail.
Barner was arrested with the trio following the murder but was later offered a plea deal from the state to testify against the group.
Judge Tatiana Salvador asked the state why the phone calls weren’t disclosed to the defense.
“Judge, I wasn’t aware that the phone calls existed,” said Assistant State Attorney Joel Cooper. “They were actually obtained in a separate case. Their existence came up in the missed disposition, so when she made the statement alluding to some of the calls, I searched for them and found them in an unrelated case that I did not have initially.”
The defense responded that Cooper may not have known about the calls, but his office did because they tried to use them to revoke the bond of someone who was tied to the case back in 2020.
Judge Salvador told all parties to listen to the calls in time for the July 21 trial start date.
Judge Salvador granted a motion to continue the trial during a court hearing in February, citing the need for additional time to complete witness depositions.
The state and defense agreed to delay the trial, initially set for March.
The killing of McCormick has been a focal point in the ongoing gang wars in Jacksonville, involving several rap factions, including the ATKs, KTAs, and NHGs. Hakeem Robinson is accused of being the shooter in the incident.
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At the time of the murder, the trio, along with Dominique Barner and Hakeem and Abdul Jr.’s father, Abdul Robinson Sr., were arrested.
Barner was offered a plea deal after admitting to driving the car on the day McCormick was killed. Barner stated that Hakeem Robinson wanted to kill McCormick for making a diss song against Hakeem’s deceased half-brother, Willie Addison, who was killed in a drive-by shooting.
Robinson Sr. was arrested as an accessory after the fact, with the original police report indicating that he picked up the group after McCormick was shot.
During the court proceedings, Robinson Sr. acknowledged watching dashcam video footage of the murder and identified Hakeem Robinson as the shooter. He has been offered the opportunity to testify against his sons and nephew and is still expected to be a witness for the state.
Following this trial, Hakeem Robinson will face another trial for murder charges related to Adrian Gainer, also known as “Lil Bibby.”
In recent months, Robinson’s living conditions at the Duval County jail have become a focal point in court discussions. In December, a post on Robinson’s Instagram account alleged mistreatment at the jail, claims that have been repeatedly addressed in court.
RELATED | Attorney for Jacksonville rapper ‘Ksoo’ may seek civil suit due to alleged jail conditions
Robinson was previously held on the sixth floor of the jail, which houses the psych ward and juveniles and serves as a disciplinary confinement area. It remains unclear if Robinson was under investigation for misconduct.
His attorney, Chris DeCoste, expressed concerns about Robinson’s isolation, which he said hindered communication with his legal team.
“Right now, our client is still held there, all of my public records requests asking for the reason why has been shot down, so I’m moving to the next step with that,” DeCoste stated to the court in January.
DeCoste later confirmed to News4JAX’s Briana Brownlee that Robinson has been moved back to the general population.
“No evidence has been presented supporting isolation right before trial, which makes it seem like it was done to gain an unfair advantage,” he said.
When asked about a potential lawsuit, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) responded:
“If they wish to pursue a civil case, that is their prerogative and right to do so. We are unable to comment on any civil litigation,” said Public Information Officer Maximo Morel Sepulveda. “As stated previously, Robinson is still under investigation. He also continues to be in ‘isolation,’ however, he has been moved from the 6th floor to the 4th floor. Please understand the 6th floor is not a ‘mental health’ floor.”
