The jury spent three and a half hours deliberating before coming back to the courtroom. Ksoo, whose real name is Hakeem Robinson, faces additional charges related to another murder case.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hakeem Robinson, known as rapper Ksoo, has been found guilty by a jury of the murder of Charles McCormick in 2020. Robinson was charged with first degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence in Florida.
The jury deliberated for three and a half hours starting Thursday afternoon.
Prosecutors said Robinson gunned down McCormick as he walked out of a temp agency on Merrill Road in January 2020.
The motive for the crime was the killing of Robinson’s stepbrother Willie Addison, who was shot outside a club the previous year. Robinson and his co-defendant are linked to the Jacksonville gang ATK, while Addison was killed by a member of 6block, a rival group. Prosecutors claim McCormick was affiliated with 6block as well.
They argued that McCormick released a “diss track” about Addison’s death, mocking the shooting that not only resulted in his death but also seriously injured Robinson’s father, brother, and cousin.
According to prosecutors, this mocking track was Robinson’s reason for murdering McCormick. The state’s narrative suggested that Robinson, along with co-defendant Leroy Whitaker and accomplice Dominique Barner, tracked McCormick. They allege Robinson was seen on camera shooting McCormick, and Whitaker was in the vehicle with a firearm, prepared to fire as well.
The trial, lasting six days, included testimonies from law enforcement, DNA specialists, and witnesses. Prosecution presented dashcam and surveillance footage of the shooting, plus social media posts that reportedly show Robinson boasting about killing McCormick.
While the state argued that Robinson was easily connected to the crime, the defense argued that he was not the man in the video. They solicited testimony throughout the trial from witnesses who agreed Robinson was too large and tall to be the man in the video, including a police officer who said that when Robinson was arrested, he was surprised by his build.
The defense also argued that Robinson’s phone was not connected to the crime and pointed out that the murder weapon was never found.
Robinson’s father, a confessed accomplice to the crime, 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 defense said that he 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 ATK and 6block rivalry. Robinson faces another trial in the death of Adrian Gainer. He is charged with shooting and killing him — an incident that is mentioned in a viral song by Yungeen Ace, who’s also a member of ATK.
