Barner confessed to his role in the shooting. He has agreed to testify as part of a plea deal for a lesser sentence.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Friday, Dominique Barner, who goes by “Butta,” took the stand in the trial of Jacksonville rapper Hakeem Robinson, known as Ksoo, admitting his role in the murder case.
Barner’s testimony comes as part of a plea deal, helping him secure a lighter sentence. He has also admitted to the murder of Damon Rothermal, killed during Barner’s attempt to target a rival gang member.
With this plea agreement, lawyers suggest Barner could face a reduced sentence of just 20 years. Meanwhile, Robinson’s defense, along with that of his co-defendant Leroy Whitaker (ATK Scotty), describes Barner as a “paid assassin” involved in two murders, asserting that his testimony is aimed at benefiting himself.
“You feel in your mind you should get 20, right?” Robinson’s attorney Tara Kawass asked Barner. “Because in your words, you ‘provided justice.'”
On the stand, Barner admitted he had previously lied to police, lied in depositions, and lied under oath. Defense attorneys said in their opening statements that Barner would not be a trustworthy witness.
Barner recounted the events of the murder. He said he was in the car with Robinson and Whitaker as they stalked Charles McCormick and eventually shot him. He testified that the group planned for both Robinson and Whitaker to ambush McCormick. Their original plan failed when, after hours of waiting outside McCormick’s apartment, Barner became distracted as McCormick finally exited. This led to Plan B: following McCormick to the shopping center on Merrill Road, where he was killed.
After the shooting, Barner and Whitaker were charged with allegedly fleeing the scene and invading a woman’s home, where they stole clothes to change into. Barner admitted to assaulting the woman during the home invasion and is also facing charges related to that incident.
Barner also discussed the motive behind the crime, saying McCormick had written a “diss track” about his friend and Robinson’s brother, Willie Addison. Addison and Robinson’s father, Abdul Robinson Sr., had been like a father to Barner and often gave him a place to stay, he testified.
Barner said Robinson was wearing the same outfit as the shooter seen in dashcam video of the incident. Robinson’s attorneys have argued that, based on the stature and height of the man in the video, it could not be Robinson.
Barner also testified that Robinson called a man named Rae’quan Howard, a member of the same rival gang as McCormick, on the day of the crime and told him he was going to kill McCormick.
According to Kawass, Robinson’s attorneys had previously deposed Barner for a combined nine hours over several sessions—yet this was the first time he had mentioned that call in front of her.
“At one point, I even said to you, Mr. Barner, ‘I don’t want a situation to show up where we are in a courtroom in front of two juries and you say something we’ve never heard before,’ right?” she asked. Barner agreed he remembered that conversation. Kawass continued, “And the first time we have ever heard from your mouth that you witnessed a call from Rae’quan Howard to Hakeem Robinson was today, right?”
Barner said he had, in fact, mentioned it before—but only to the prosecution.
“What you’re telling this jury today is that you witnessed him speaking to Rae’quan Howard—that he was going to go, that he was gonna kill someone, right? That’s like a confession, right?” Kawass pressed. “You didn’t think that was relevant to tell the lawyers for Hakeem Robinson?”
“I mean, it was relevant, but, I don’t know,” Barner replied.
Earlier Friday, the girlfriend of a man involved in the crime and a digital forensics expert called by the state also testified.
The girlfriend said she was told to pick up Robinson on the day of the murder, which she did. She said she never asked what had happened. She also testified that Robinson was not particularly slim—“like boney”—at the time of the murder, as Robinson’s attorneys have repeatedly pointed out as a defining feature of the shooter in the dashcam video.
The digital forensics expert explained how he used computer modeling to match the gun from the dashcam video to a firearm Robinson was seen holding in music videos. He also discussed body scans he conducted, stating he ruled out Whitaker and Barner as the shooter but could not rule out Robinson.
