EXCLUSIVE: Suspect charged with killing naked man whose body was found stuffed into a barrel along Malibu beach appears handcuffed in court – as investigators probe whether it was tied to 2020 murder of rapper Pop Smoke

One of two men charged with killing a man’s body and stuffing it in a barrel along Malibu Beach appeared in court for the first time today.

Joshua Lee Simmons, 32, was arrested by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office and charged with the murder of Javonnta Murphy, who authorities say was fatally shot before his body was dumped in a 55-gallon plastic barrel and left in the water.

Exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com show Simmons in court. He pleaded not guilty and his bail has been set at $3,500,000.

Sanitation workers first spotted the drum floating in the water along the Pacific Coast Highway bridge on July 30. But Murphy wasn’t found dead until the next day when lifeguards swam to retrieve him and noticed its weight.

Prosecutors allege that Simmons killed Murphy on July 27 and that the barrel was driven toward Miami Beach by high winds.

Once lifeguards found Murphy’s body, Los Angeles authorities began investigating a possible link between him and the 2020 murder of Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke.

Murphy is the brother of Jaquan Murphy, one of five people arrested in connection with Pop Smoke’s murder.

He pleaded not guilty and his bail has been set at $3,500,000

Prosecutors allege that Simmons killed Murphy on July 27 and that the barrel was driven toward Miami Beach by high winds

Jaquan was originally charged with the rapper’s attempted murder, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is now investigating the possibility that Javonnta was murdered in retaliation for Pop’s murder.

Pop Smoke, whose real name was 20-year-old Bashar Barakah Jackson, was killed around 4:30 a.m. in February 2020 during a suspected home invasion at a Hollywood Hills home he had rented by a group of masked men.

In July, two men and two teenagers were charged with the murder. All four suspects were members of the same street gang and allegedly learned Pop Smoke’s whereabouts through his Instagram account.

They were able to see the address of the rapper’s Airbnb on the tag of a gift bag and saw that he was carrying a wad of cash.

A friend of someone staying at the home called 911 to report the intruders, according to police.

The rapper’s body was discovered shortly afterwards and he was subsequently pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.

Los Angeles authorities are investigating whether 32-year-old Javonnta Murphy may have been killed in retaliation for the 2020 murder of rapper Pop Smoke

He was found dead Monday when lifeguards swam to retrieve a 55-gallon barrel from the water and noticed it was heavy.

The body of a man found dead in a barrel along Malibu beach has been identified as 32-year-old Javonnta Murphy

The next new trial date for Simmons has not yet been announced

In April, a 20-year-old man pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme, admitting that he and his friends entered Pop Smoke’s Hollywood Hills mansion with a plan to rob the rapper of a “big gold watch.”

The suspect, who was not named because he committed the crime when he was a minor, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion.

It was said that he was the one who scouted the mansion and recruited others into the crime.

The 20-year-old was sentenced to four years and two months in the Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Los Angeles, but could remain in juvenile detention until he was 25.

The suspect is the first in the alleged scheme to plead guilty.

Other defendants included Corey Walker, the only adult defendant in the case.

Prosecutors alleged that Walker was caught during a secretly recorded jailhouse interview in which he allegedly confessed to his role in the murder.

Walker allegedly admitted how the group used ski masks and a police scanner in an attempt to avoid being caught.

“He said when the individuals entered, the suspects confronted (Pop Smoke), who was naked in the shower,” said LAPD Detective. Carlos Camacho testified in 2021.

At one point, according to Walker’s retelling of the crime, it appeared Pop Smoke complied with demands to hand over the jewelry he was still wearing, but the rapper fought back and “rushed” the intruders.

The rapper was then pistol-whipped before a 15-year-old allegedly shot him in the chest, according to Walker.

Hours before he was killed, Pop Smoke shared three photos of himself outside the house on Instagram. In two of the photos (above), the rapper can be seen posing with Louis Vuitton luggage next to the same white Range Rover that was parked in the driveway when doctors arrived.

In the third photo, Pop Smoke sits in the driver’s seat of the SUV next to his friend Mike Dee, who is holding a huge wad of cash.

Murphy’s older brother was originally arrested in connection with Pop Smoke’s murder, but was cleared of any wrongdoing. Medics are seen taking the victim to an ambulance that transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead in February 2020

That teenager also reportedly admitted his role in the murder in an interview recorded with a cellmate in a juvenile detention center.

“He admitted to shooting the victim three times with a Barretta 9mm,” Camacho testified during a preliminary hearing.

“They got into an argument and he shot him three times,” Camacho said in detail, referring to the taped jailhouse interview. “He said he shot him in the back.”

The 15-year-old “admitted they asked for the jewelry” and had “a confrontation” with Pop Smoke, the detective said.

Keandre Rodgers was also charged with the murder and robbery. Both he and Walker now face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jaquan was initially arrested, but was never charged for the murder.

After his younger brother was found in the barrel, former Mayor Jefferson Wagner told the Los Angeles Times he thought it was a toxic waste container.

“This is not what’s happening in Malibu,” Wagner told the newspaper. He added that he was “deeply disturbed. This is not a common phenomenon. I mean, bodies in a barrel are just sad.”

The next new trial date for Simmons has not yet been announced.