JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Testimony resumed Friday in a highly anticipated Jacksonville murder trial, a day after the jury heard from three key witnesses called by prosecutors.
Jacksonville rapper Hakeem Robinson, 26, better known by his stage name “Ksoo,” and co-defendant Leroy Whitaker, 24, his cousin, are standing trial in a case that’s drawn national attention — and stirred deep tensions in the city’s rap and gang communities.
Both face murder and gun charges in the 2020 shooting death of 23-year-old Charles “Lil Buck” McCormick Jr.
Getaway driver testifies
The star witness for the prosecution, Dominique “Butta” Barner, took the stand Friday afternoon.
Barner, 31, was offered a plea deal after admitting to driving the car on the day McCormick was killed. Barner testified that Robinson wanted to kill McCormick, known as rapper “Buck,” for making a diss song against, Willie Addison, the step son of Hakeem Robinson’s father, who was killed in a drive-by shooting.
The song was played for the jury in court on Friday.
Barner said he found McCormick’s address on the Duval County Clerk of Court website and later drove by his apartment along with Abdul Robinson Jr., Hakeem Robinson, and Whitaker.
Barner was asked by the prosecution why they wanted to know where McCormick lived.
“Basically, so we can, you know, handle up after that,” he said. “Get everything in motion, like set something up.”
“To accomplish what?” the prosecutor asked.
“Kill McCormick,” Barner responded.
Barner then testified that on the day McCormick was killed, he, Hakeem Robinson and Whitaker waited for hours outside McCormick’s apartment and then followed him to a shopping plaza in a stolen Nissan Altima.
He testified in detail about what he said happened next.
Barner said he parked near McCormick’s 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’t wait, Barner said.
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.
“What did Hakeem Robinson do?” the prosecutor asked.
“Chased him,” Barner said.
“And then did what?” the prosecutor asked.
“Killed him,” Barner said.
Barner said he didn’t actually see Hakeem Robinson kill McCormick because they ran around the side of the building.
Barner testified that McCormick was killed exactly one year prior to Addison’s murder. Barner said Abdul Robinson Jr. was also injured in the shooting that killed Addison.
Barner said after the shooting, he sped off with Hakeem Robinson and Whitaker, but a police officer quickly spotted them and a chase ensued.
Barner said he eventually crashed in the area of Townsend Blvd. and all three jumped out of the car, leaving guns behind, as evidenced in scene photographs. Hakeem Robinson went one way, and Barner and Whitaker went another way, jumping fences and eventually ending up in a woman’s house, he said. After briefly holding the woman hostage, Barner testified that the two were picked up by Abdul Robinson Sr., also known as “Blue,” and they told him what happened on the way to his house.
Barner was arrested later that day and accused of the home invasion.
On cross-examination, defense attorneys questioned his credibility and keyed in on the fact that Barner lied to police when he was first brought in for questioning and didn’t tell them about the shooting and denied taking anything from the home when he was trying to escape.
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.
Whitaker’s defense attorney, Julia Schlax, said Barner is a well-known paid assassin who is known to testify and cut deals with the state.
Day 3 Testimony
The first witness to take the stand Friday was a woman who dated a cousin of Hakeem Robinson and Abdul Robinson Jr.
Robinson Jr. and Hakeem Robinson are brothers.
Robinson Jr. is also charged in McCormick’s murder and will be tried separately.
The woman testified she drove to pick up Hakeem Robinson at an Apartment Complex in Arlington the day McCormick was murdered.
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.
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.
She said she stopped dating her boyfriend shortly after this happened.
The woman was then cross-examined by Whitaker’s attorney who emphasized the witness never spent any time with Whitaker, although she knew who he was.
During cross-examination with Hakeem Robinson’s attorney, the attorney pointed out the woman never went to 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’s Office.
The attorney also pressed the woman on what she knew about the events that unfolded the day of the murder in January 2020.
Attorney: “When did you know that there was a murder? You’ve 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?
Woman: “I didn’t know for sure. I just saw the death of Charles McCormick on the news.”
Attorney: “At the strip mall right around from your house right, the one where you claim you heard gunshots from your house, right?”
Woman: “I never said I heard any gunshots.”
Attorney: “Because you were asleep all morning right, and can’t testify to anything that happened at your house before you woke up?”
Woman: “Correct.”
Attorney: “But you picked up the shooter and you helped him get away, right?”
Woman: “I picked up Hakeem Robinson, that’s who I picked up.”
Attorney: “And they’re claiming he is the shooter, right?”
Woman: “Yes.”
Attorney: “You picked him up and helped him get away and evade capture?”
Woman: “I guess, if that’s what you want to say. I was just picking somebody up.”
Attorney: “Because if you claim you didn’t know anything, then you can’t get charged with accessory after the fact, right?”
Woman: “I didn’t know anything.”
The next person to take the stand was Jason Latham, a certified forensic video examiner who assisted in the McCormick case.
He conducted a forensic video review of a dash cam that recorded the murder.
This was done by taking 3D laser scans of the crime scene and the suspects to collect data to create scaled models that could be compared to the images in the dash cam.
Latham said based on his analysis, the shooter was at least as tall as the other suspect in the dash cam video.
“It is my professional opinion based on my training and my experience and the results of the body morphology analysis that Leroy Whitaker and Domonique Barner could be eliminated a possible candidate for the shooter,” Latham said.
He also said, based on that same analysis, Hakeem Robinson could not be excluded as the possible shooter.
Day 2 Testimony
The first witness to take the stand Thursday was a woman who worked at a staffing agency at the Dames Pointe Plaza on Merrill Road, where McCormick Jr. was shot on Jan. 15, 2020.
She described the moments leading up to the shooting, as McCormick left the business after receiving his job assignment and walked to his car.
“As 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,” the witness said.
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.
Despite the moment of chaos, the caller said she caught a glimpse of the shooter.
“He has a mask on, he has a skull cap, he’s running across the parking lot,” she said.
Minutes later, an off-duty JSO officer, another state witness, testified 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 Thursday 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 cell phone 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 Dominique Barner, who was born in 1993 and is now a state witness, but said she never saw the other man’s face, who prosecutors say is Whitaker.
Defense attorneys argued that their client, Robinson, stands well over six feet, while multiple witnesses estimated the gunman was much shorter.
Whitaker’s father was in court Thursday, as well as the families of Robinson and McCormick. McCormick’s family didn’t want to speak, but Whitaker’s father spoke on behalf of the Whitaker and Robinson families. He said in any case, he wants people to be held accountable, but he wants to see evidence.
“We are just going to wait for the outcome and see how it’s going to be. I’m going to keep my head up and my chest out,” Leroy Whitaker Sr. said.
Day 1 Testimony
Opening statements began Wednesday with the state explaining the evidence that the jury would see to consider in determining whether to find Robinson and Whitaker guilty in the case.
Assistant State Attorney Joel Cooper argued that McCormick’s affiliations with local rap groups made him Robinson’s target.
“One of the traditions of both groups is producing rap music, drill rap, diss songs, that make fun of or talk disrespectfully about members of their ops,” Cooper said. “Charles McCormick became a target, an easy target. This was about sending a message.. because not only was it personal but it’s about respect and we aren’t going to let our ops sing songs like that, not about our family… that is why Charles McCormick was targeted.”
The first witness for the state was on the stand on Wednesday. He asked not to be shown on camera. However, dash cam footage from his car showed the moment the shooting happened.
Whitaker’s attorney, Julie Schlax, argued against his involvement in the shooting, mentioning the state’s star witness, Barner, who admitted to driving the getaway car, would convince the jury that he was innocent.
“There will be no question whatsoever… Leroy Whitaker did not pull the trigger. Leroy Whitaker had nothing to do with the death of Charles McCormick. That’s what the evidence will show, “Whitaker’s attorney told the courtroom,” Schlax said.
Robinson’s attorney, Tara Kawass, turned her comments to the jury, asking them to “ignore” the descriptions that have placed Robinson as the shooter.
“Ignore the descriptions given by each and every person that saw the shooter,” she said to the jury. “Discredit them. Don’t believe them.”
Barner was mentioned during the opening statement by Kawass. She claimed that Barner was the one who planned and orchestrated the murder, not Robinson.
“When you listen to all the credible, reliable evidence in this case, it’s only going to prove to you one thing, Hakeem Robinson is innocent. Find him not guilty,” she said.
Jury selection began on Monday for the McCormick murder case as the prosecution and defense try to select two separate juries for the two defendants.
On Wednesday, three potential jurors asked to be excused. Two cited family health concerns, and one told the court she is afraid and can’t handle the pressure of a murder case of this magnitude.
The case has drawn major attention — not only because of the murders, but because of the defendants’ ties to Jacksonville’s ongoing gang violence, involving groups like ATK and KTA.
Despite those connections, prosecutors are no longer pursuing enhanced charges tied to criminal gang affiliation — a significant shift in the state’s approach.
Robinson and Whitaker were both in court on Wednesday, wearing suits.
They were attentive, watching each potential juror closely as they answered questions from Robinson’s attorney, Christopher DeCoste.
More than 50 potential jurors showed up.
Prosecutors allege that Robinson was the triggerman in McCormick’s killing.
DeCoste focused heavily on jury questions, asking how they view guns, and whether they can separate guns from entertainment and real life — possibly alluding to Robinson’s music career.
Robinson’s brother was originally set to be tried alongside him, but that’s changed. The brother’s case has been severed and will be handled separately.
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The case also involves a complex web of co-defendants and witness deals.
Barner took a plea deal and told investigators that Robinson wanted McCormick dead for allegedly dissing his slain half-brother, Willie Addison, who was killed in a 2019 drive-by shooting.
Hakeem’s father, Abdul Robinson Sr., was arrested and accused of helping them escape after the shooting.
In a dramatic twist, Robinson Sr. later identified his son as the shooter after viewing dashcam footage of the incident. He’s now expected to testify against his sons and nephew in court.
After the McCormick trial concludes, Hakeem Robinson will face a separate murder trial for the 2019 shooting death of 16-year-old Adrian “Lil Bibby” Gainer Jr.
