JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hakeem Robinson, also known by the rap name Ksoo, and Leroy Whitaker Jr. are charged with 1st degree murder in the killing of Charles McCormick Jr. over a diss track.
Abdul Robinson Sr. is Hakeem Robinson’s father. Robinson Sr. is charged with accessory after the fact in the incident from January 15th, 2020.
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Robinson Sr. got visibly emotional on the stand as he identified his son as the alleged shooter.
State Attorney’s Office: Who is the person that was captured on the video recording shooting Charles McCormick?
Abdul Robinson Sr.: My son
State Attorney’s Office: What’s your son’s name?
Abdul Robinson Sr.: Hakeem.
This is the moment a father turned against his son.
Abdul Robinson Sr. testified against his son Hakeem Robinson and Leroy Whitaker who are charged with 1st degree murder in the killing of Charles McCormick Jr.
Whitaker is also charged with
· burglary with assault or battery
· home invasion robbery
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Robinson Sr. took a plea deal with the state in exchange for his testimony against his son and Whitaker, and for his testimony in another case. He is alleged to have picked up Whitaker and Dominique Barner from a woman’s house the day McCormick Jr. was killed.
State Attorney’s Office: Did you do anything else to assist either Leroy Whitaker or Dominique Barner?
Abdul Robinson Sr.: Yes.
State Attorney’s Office: What did you do?
Abdul Robinson Sr.: Well I took the clothes they had on….
State Attorney’s Office: Did you set them on fire?
Abdul Robinson Sr.: Yes.
State Attorney’s Office: And why were you doing that?
Abdul Robinson Sr.: I mean, it was just my way to help.
Robinson Sr. told jurors that his plea deal with the state lowered his maximum possible sentence to 20 years behind bars. Robinson Sr. told jurors he had a number of reasons for why he testified against his son, including health issues and the fact that he has two six-year-olds and an eight-year-old daughter that he wants to be there for. He also told jurors that cooperating with the state in this case was the “hardest decision I had to make in my life.”
Hakeem Robinson’s defense attorney pressed his client’s father about his real intentions for testifying against his son.
Chris DeCoste / Attorney for Hakeem Robinson: “Your number one objective is protecting yourself?”
Abdul Robinson Sr.: “Of course.”
Testimony in this trial resumes Tuesday.
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