Pop Smoke’s Murder Has Connection to Recent Murder of Another Rapper
Pop Smoke’s murder has been connected to a new murder of another rapper whose body was found in a barrel. According to TMZ, law enforcement is investigating the murder of a Los Angeles rapper named Javonnta Murphy.
Javonnta’s naked body, which was contained in a barrel, washed ashore on July 31 in Malibu. Javonnta is the brother of Jaquan Murphy, one of the five people arrested in connection to Pop Smoke’s murder in 2020.
Jaquan was first charged with attempted murder for Pop Smoke’s death but later was cleared of the charges. However, he is currently awaiting trial for an unrelated murder.
Law enforcement sources tell the tabloid that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is currently looking into the murder of Javonnta as retaliation for the killing of Pop Smoke.
Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah Jackson, was shot and killed in February 2020 during a robbery in the Hollywood Hills. Pop was not alone during the time of his murder, but he was the only one that was shot.
RELATED: Pop Smoke: Woman Who Witnessed His Murder Speaks Out
Amelia Rose was the woman who was with Pop Smoke during the time of his death.
“Pop said he was going upstairs,” Amelia Rose told Van Lathan on WeTV’s HipHop Homicides. “I’m sitting on the bed, and I’m starting to take off my clothes, and he said, ‘OK, I’ll come back.’ He was going to the restroom, and so this was his last words.”
“This moment, it was like a couple seconds, and I hear the noise.” She described hearing a sliding glass door open. “The guy was in the mask, and his gun was like looking at me, you know? His eyes made me so scared. They run to the restroom, Pop screamed, ‘What?'”
Later in the interview, she tearfully recalled Pop Smoke being dragged from the bedroom by a masked man. After moments of commotion, she heard the gunshot that ultimately led to his death. Rose explained that she still has trouble sleeping at night and is shocked she wasn’t killed as well.
In May, an 18-year-old man — who was 15 at the time of the murder — was charged in the fatal 2020 shooting of Pop Smoke. He admitted to killing the rapper in juvenile court, per the Los Angeles Times.