Los Angeles authorities are investigating a possible link between the 2020 murder of Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke and a naked body found in a barrel on a Malibu beach last week.
Relatives have identified the remains in the barrel as those of 32-year-old singer-songwriter Javonnta Murphy, brother of Jaquan Murphy – one of five people arrested in the wake of Pop Smoke’s murder.
Jaquan was originally charged with the attempted murder of the rapper, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing. However, he is awaiting trial for an unrelated murder in Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is now investigating the possibility that Javonnta was killed in retaliation for Pop’s murder. TMZ reported.
Los Angeles authorities are investigating whether Javonnta Murphy, 32, left, may have been killed in retaliation for the 2020 murder of rapper Pop Smoke
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 which transported him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead in February 2020
The star, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, 20, was killed around 4:30 a.m. in February 2020 in 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 his murder. All four defendants were members of the same street gang and allegedly learned of Pop Smoke’s whereabouts through his Instagram account.
They were able to see the address of the rapper’s Airbnb on a gift bag tag and saw that he was carrying a wad of cash.
A friend of someone who was staying at the house had called 911 to report the intruders, according to police.
The rapper’s body was discovered shortly after and he was subsequently pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.
Hours before he was killed, Pop Smoke shared three photos of himself outdoors 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 the medics arrived
In the third photo, Pop Smoke sits in the driver’s seat of the SUV next to his friend Mike Dee, holding a huge pile of cash.
In April, a 20-year-old man pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme, admitting that he and friends entered Pop Smoke’s Hollywood Hills mansion intending to rob the rapper of a “big gold watch.”
The defendant, who was not named because he committed the crime when he was a minor, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and robbery of the home.
He would have been the one to scout the mansion and recruit others into the crime.
The 20-year-old was sentenced to four years and two months at the Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Los Angeles, but could remain in juvenile detention until age 25.
The defendant is the first in the alleged scheme to plead guilty.
Other defendants included Corey Walker, who is the only adult defendant in the case.
Prosecutors alleged that Walker was caught during a secretly taped prison 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 effort to avoid getting caught.
“He said when the individuals entered, the suspects were confronted (Pop Smoke), who was showering naked,” LAPD Det. Carlos Camacho testified in 2021.
At one point, according to Walker’s retelling of the crime, it appeared that Pop Smoke complied with the demands to hand over the jewelry he was still wearing, but the rapper fought back and “hurried” the intruders.
The rapper was then pistol-whipped before a 15-year-old allegedly shot him in the chest, according to Walker’s account.
The 20-year-old rapper, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, was allegedly shot dead by an unnamed 15-year-old suspect.
An aerial shot from a Fox11 News KTTV-TV video shows the Hollywood Hills home where Pop Smoke was shot dead
That teenager also allegedly 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 at a preliminary hearing.
“They got into a fight and he shot him three times,” Camacho said, referring to the taped prison 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 murder and robbery.
Both he and Walker now face the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole.
Jaquan was initially arrested, but was never charged with the murder.
Last week, Javonnta Murphy’s remains were found in a 55-gallon barrel floating in the water off the coast of Malibu.
His younger brother’s body was found naked last week and stuffed into a 55-gallon drum floating in the water off the Pacific Coast Highway bridge.
Sanitation workers first saw the drum on July 30, but Javonnta was not found dead until the next morning when lifeguards swam to retrieve it and noticed the weight.
“It didn’t look decomposed or like it had been there for a long time,” said Hugo Raynaga, Lieutenant Hugo’s homicide detective.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives are now investigating Javonnta’s death, and authorities believe the high tide may have carried the barrel from the ocean to Malibu Lagoon.
It remains unclear how Murphy died, how long his body was in the barrel or where it came from.
The beach was closed when homicide detectives combed the place.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach is located in Malibu, California and is also known as Surfrider Beach.
The 110-acre property is located in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and is about 28 miles from Los Angeles.
Located west of Los Angeles, Malibu is known for being home to celebrities and beaches – not dramatic crime scenes. The median income is $71,000, more than double the national average of $31,000.
The incident left locals shocked by the discovery.
Former mayor Jefferson Wagner told the Los Angeles Times that when he first saw the barrel on Sunday night, he thought it was a toxic waste container. He added that he could not recall a similar situation in the community.
“This is not what is happening in Malibu,” Wagner told the outlet, adding that he was “deeply disturbed.” This doesn’t happen often. I mean, bodies in a barrel is just pathetic.”