Man Stuffed In Barrel Was Brother Of Former Pop Smoke Murder Suspect: Report

MALIBU, CA — Authorities are investigating whether there's a connection between the killing of rapper Pop Smoke and that of Javonnta Murphy, whose body was found stuffed in a barrel floating in Malibu Lagoon last week, TMZ reported.

Murphy's brother, Jaquan Murphy, was among a group of people accused of invading Pop Smoke's Hollywood Hills rental home before he was shot dead in 2020, according to TMZ. Jaquan Murphy was initially charged with capital murder, but later cleared.

Citing unnamed law enforcement sources, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is looking into the possibility that Javonnta Murphy's killing was done in retaliation for that of Pop Smoke.

Murphy's naked body was found stuffed in a 55-gallon barrel that was floating in Malibu Lagoon on July 31. The 32-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to his head and his death was ruled a homicide by the Medical Examiner's Office.

An aspiring rapper and musician, Murphy grew up in South Los Angeles and recently moved to Sylmar, according go the Los Angeles Times. A family friend, Patrick Nelson, told the Times that Murphy wasn't involved in gang activity and he was a father to a young son.

An 18-year-old admitted in court in May to a first-degree murder charge stemming from the shooting death of Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson. The man, who was 15 at the time and as a result has not been publicly identified, was among a group of people accused of invading the rapper's Hollywood Hills rental home before he was shot dead.

There are three other co-defendants in the case. A 19-year-old and 20-year-old both previously admitted to home-invasion robbery and voluntary manslaughter in Juvenile Court. Corey Walker, 22, has been charged in adult court with murder, robbery and burglary.

KTLA reported that the suspects were believed to be members of a South LA gang.

Jackson's Hollywood Hills rental home was broken into by a group of people wearing ski masks, the invasion came after Murphy had posted a photo of a gift bag on Instagram earlier that day. The then-15-year-old pistol-whipped Jackson before shooting him in the back three times, according to a detective's testimony reported by the Times.

The group left with Jackson's diamond-studded Rolex, which they managed to sell for $2,000, according to the detective.

City News Service contributed to this report.