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, who is also known by the alias ATK Scotty, are being sentenced for the murder of Charles McCormick, which took place in January 2020. According to Florida law, both individuals are set to receive life sentences.
On July 31, the court found Robinson and Whitaker guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of McCormick. Prosecutors argued that the motivation for the murder stemmed from gang tensions and a “diss track” McCormick released that mocked the death of Robinson’s stepbrother.
Prosecutors revealed that Robinson’s stepbrother, Willie Addison, was murdered just outside a club precisely a year before McCormick’s murder. Although Robinson and Whitaker belong to a documented Jacksonville gang, Addison was fatally shot by a member of an opposing gang. The court was told that McCormick was involved with this rival group.
According to the prosecutors, Robinson’s motive for killing McCormick was revenge. They asserted that Robinson, along with Whitaker and accomplice Dominique Barner, pursued McCormick. Evidence presented in court showed Robinson on video shooting McCormick, while Whitaker waited in the getaway car armed with a loaded weapon.
Robinson’s legal team sought a new trial, arguing that cloud-based notes, altered officer testimonies, and other misleading evidence had impacted the fairness of the trial. However, the prosecutors insisted that the evidence was presented in a timely manner, leading the judge to reject the request.
During the proceedings, Robinson’s father, who admitted to being an accomplice in the crime, testified against him. He identified Robinson as the gunman in the video, expressing that it was the “hardest thing” he’d ever done. Robinson’s defense portrayed his father as merely a “DNA donor” with a violent past, calling into question his credibility as a 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.
