Jacksonville rapper Hakeem Robinson, known as Ksoo, is currently on trial for the 2020 murder of Charles McCormick, and on Friday, confessed accomplice Dominique “Butta” Barner took the stand against him. Barner, who accepted a plea deal in exchange for a reduced sentence, admitted to being in the car with Robinson and co-defendant Leroy Whitaker (aka ATK Scotty) as they followed and ultimately ambushed McCormick. After the shooting, Barner said he and Whitaker fled the scene, committed a home invasion to steal clothes, and assaulted a woman in the process.
One of the most explosive moments of the trial came when Barner testified that Robinson called rival gang member Raekwon Howard via Instagram just before the murder and told him he was going to kill McCormick. Defense attorney Tara Kawass was quick to challenge the credibility of that claim, pointing out that Barner had never mentioned the call in previous depositions and appeared unsure about how the call happened, eventually admitting he was “guessing” it was on Instagram.
Barner’s credibility came under intense scrutiny, with the defense portraying him as a “paid assassin” who had already pleaded guilty to another murder and admitted to repeatedly lying to police, under oath, and during depositions. Kawass questioned whether Barner shaped his story after reviewing evidence during the discovery process, accusing him of fabricating details to help himself secure a lighter sentence.
Other testimony presented Friday included a witness who picked up Robinson after the murder and challenged the defense’s argument that Robinson was too slim to be the shooter in dashcam footage. A forensic expert also testified that a gun seen in Ksoo’s music videos matched the one used in the shooting and said Robinson could not be ruled out as the shooter based on body scans. As the trial continues, the case largely hinges on whether the jury believes Barner’s testimony—or sees it as a self-serving attempt to reduce his own time behind bars.
Source: First Coast News
