Live | Jacksonville rapper Ksoo in court seeking new trial
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Ksoo and his co-defendant Leroy Whitaker, also known as ATK Scotty, are set to receive life sentences for the murder of Charles McCormick.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville rapper Ksoo, real name Hakeem Robinson, is back in court Wednesday for sentencing.

Robinson and his co-defendant Leroy Whitaker, also known as ATK Scotty, are being sentenced for the January 2020 murder of Charles McCormick. Both are set to receive life sentences under Florida law.

On July 31, Robinson and Whitaker were convicted of first-degree murder in McCormick’s shooting death. Prosecutors said Robinson killed McCormick because of gang conflicts and a “diss track” he released making fun of Robinson’s stepbrother’s death.

Robinson’s stepbrother Willie Addison was shot and killed while coming out of a club exactly a year before McCormick’s murder, prosecutors said. While Robinson and Whitaker are documented members of one Jacksonville gang, Addison was killed by a member of a rival gang. Prosecutors said McCormick was part of the rival gang.

Prosecutors said this was Robinson’s motivation for killing McCormick. The narrative described by the state is that Robinson, Whitaker and accomplice Dominique Barner all stalked McCormick together. While they said Robinson was caught on video shooting McCormick, Whitaker was in the getaway car with a loaded gun, also ready to shoot.

Robinson’s attorneys had requested a new trial, citing issues like iCloud notes, changes in officer testimony and other evidence they said was prejudicial. Prosecutors countered this claim, saying they had the evidence in time, as the judge denied the motion.

During the trial, Robinson’s father, a confessed accomplice to the murder, testified against him. He identified Robinson as the shooter in the video, though he said it was the “hardest thing” he had done in his life. Robinson’s attorneys said Robinson’s father was no more than a “DNA donor” and that his own violent history meant he was not a trustworthy witness.

This case is related to a web of other crimes in Jacksonville and other parts of the state involving the gang rivalry. Robinson faces another trial for the death of Adrian Gainer. He is charged with shooting and killing him — an incident that is mentioned in a viral song by rapper Yungeen Ace, who’s also a member of the same gang as Robinson.

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