Rapper Ksoo and cousin guilty of 1st-degree murder

Jacksonville rapper Hakeem Robinson — whose artist name is Ksoo — was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the 2020 shooting death of 23-year-old Charles McCormick Jr.

The verdict, reached after just over three hours of deliberation, followed Thursday morning’s guilty verdict for co-defendant Leroy Whitaker Jr., who is Robinson’s cousin.

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Two juries were seated for the trial because of the two defendants. They each heard seven days of testimony before separate closing arguments were presented by defense attorneys, then prosecution rebuttals and judge’s instructions before deliberations began.

Both men were accused in McCormick’s shooting death at an Arlington shopping center about 11 a.m. Jan. 15, 2020. It was witnessed by an off-duty police officer, who said the gunman stood over the victim and shot him with a rifle before fleeing in a Nissan.

The officer chased the car until it crashed nearby, and three people inside ran away. Two ran into a house and held the homeowner hostage before calling someone to get them, police said.