"It’s over for everybody except for me" — Pop Smoke’s mother Audrey Jackson speaks out after rapper's murder suspect strikes plea deal

On Wednesday, February 5, Corey Walker - the only adult suspect in Pop Smoke's murder case - accepted a plea deal offered by the prosecutors. Walker pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery with gun and gang enhancements, Rolling Stone reported.

Per the media outlet, Walker is expected to receive a sentence of 29 years in jail at the court hearing scheduled to take place later this month, on February 21.

Audrey Jackson - Pop Smoke's mother - told Rolling Stone that she was thankful as the trial was finally resolved after five years, adding that it did little for her broken heart. Jackson said:

"It’s over for everybody except for me. This never ends for me. And that’s unfair."

Audrey further claimed that she would continue to work for her son's legacy, saying:

"I’m grateful that the culprits were caught. I appreciate they got justice to the fullest extent of the law. But my life doesn’t change. I still don’t have my son. I will continue to work on his legacy, but that’s also a constant reminder that he’s not here."

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Corey Walker was 19 when he was first charged with Pop Smoke's murder

The incident that resulted in Pop Smoke's death took place in February 2020, when Corey Walker - who was 19 at the time - led three other juveniles to a rented Airbnb where the rising rapper was staying.

According to the prosecutors, the initial plan of Walker and his cohorts was to steal money from Pop Smoke's Airbnb, alongside a thick gold chain and a diamond-studded watch that the rapper had displayed on social media a day ago.

After the group located Smoke's rental home, they went ahead with their plan in the early morning hours of February 19, 2020. One of his accomplices was carrying a 9mm gun, which Walker admitted to have given him in court.

The documents submitted by the police and prosecutors claim that the three juvenile defendants entered Smoke's rental home by climbing into an outdoor balcony while Walker was outside in the car.

From the balcony, they made their way to the upstairs bedroom, where the 20-year-old rapper was taking a shower.

The incident that followed ended with Jackson being whipped by a pistol and shot three times in the back with it. The weapon was later recognized as a Beretta 9mm semiautomatic pistol.

The prosecutors described Walker as the ringleader of the group, adding that he "facilitated the crimes by not only surveilling the crime scene before the crimes were committed but serving as the researcher, getaway driver, weapons provider and planner of this home invasion robbery."

Meanwhile, Christopher Darden - Walker's defense former lawyer - argued that Walker "did not plan this crime" and was only the driver who remained outside seated in the driver's seat of the getaway car, in the "worst case scenario."

The other three defendants in Pop Smoke's murder case were charged as juveniles. The triggerman among them - who shot the Dior rapper in 2020 - was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Meanwhile, the other two cohorts settled their cases and were sent to a post-conviction juvenile housing facility, per Rolling Stone.

Following the hearing on Wednesday, Kellen Davis and Deion Benjamin - who were defending Walker in court - told the media outlet:

"Under the circumstances, we’re confident this is the best outcome for Mr. Walker to still have a future. And of course, our thoughts and prayers are with Pop Smoke’s family. This is something that never should have happened, something Mr. Walker never wanted to have happen."

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Pop Smoke's mother also told Rolling Stone that she has no plans of attending the sentencing of Corey Walker on February 21. Instead, she'll launch a new clothing line in her son's name and hold a charity gala in Canarsie, Brooklyn, to honor his memory.