JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville rapper Ksoo's murder trial has been pushed back seven months into 2025 after a Duval County judge set a new start date for it in court Monday morning.
The 25-year-old rapper, whose real name is Hakeem Robinson, is charged with "murder in the first-degree as a criminal gang member," the indictment says, in the killing of 23-year-old Charles McCormick, also known by his nickname "Lil Buck."
Ksoo's older brother Abdul Robinson Jr., 29, father Abdul Robinson Sr., 53, Dominique Barner, 30, and 23-year-old Leroy Whitaker, also known as ATK Scotty, are also charged in McCormick's murder.
Police and prosecutors allege Robinson Sr. is the leader of a violent gang known as 'ATK,' which stands for Ace's Top Killers and has rapper Yungeen Ace as its most notable member. His son, Hakeem, is believed to be a member.
Here are the charges each defendant is facing in what prosecutors are calling a capital murder, according to court records:
- Abdul Robinson Jr. - First-degree murder and accessory after the fact
- Abdul Robinson Sr. - Accessory after the fact and solicitation to commit a capital felony
- Leroy Whitaker - First-degree murder, burglary with assault or battery and home invasion robbery
- Dominique Barner - Home invasion robbery and burglary with assault or battery
In Ksoo, Robinson Jr. and Whitaker's last court appearance in July, Ksoo's attorney filed a motion for continuance, which is a request to the court to have a court date postponed. He told the judge "outstanding discovery needs to be completed."
A similar statement was made in Monday's court hearing, too, as the prosecutor said: "Judge, there are some depositions the defense indicated that they wanted to take. A couple of the witnesses I am trying to locate and as soon as I have that, we'll have those depositions set."
The judge then marked March 31, 2025 as the start date of the trial beginning with jury selection. She then set the next court date for Ksoo, Robinson Jr. and Whitaker on Oct. 2; their final pre-trial hearing will be on March 24.
Murder of McCormick
According to police and prosecutors, McCormick was fatally shot in Dames Pointe Plaza on Merrill Road on Jan. 15, 2020. An off-duty officer witnessed the shooting. According to a warrant, the officer saw a gunman stand over McCormick and shoot him with a rifle before fleeing in a Nissan Altima.
The shooter was caught on surveillance video, and prosecutors say Hakeem Robinson is the man pictured.
After the shooting, the officer chased the Nissan until it crashed and three people fled from it, according to the warrant. Prosecutors say Hakeem Robinson's fingerprint was found on a rifle in the car and his hair was found on a T-shirt nearby.
After the incident, the warrant says Robinson posted mocking comments on his Instagram account, including a Lil Buck video captioned "Byeeee byeeee" with emojis of waving hands. Another post was of him getting a pedicure with the caption, "Kill a n----- then go get my toes done," according to the warrant.
Abdul Robinson is set to testify against his sons and Whitaker in the trial that was originally set to begin on Monday. In an April 2022 interrogation video, Robinson Sr. implicated his sons, Whitaker and Barner as being involved in the crime.
Barner is also cooperating with investigators.
