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Authorities in Los Angeles County are investigating how the body of a dead man that washed up on shore inside a barrel is connected to Pop Smoke's murder.
According to a report TMZ published on Sunday, August 6, the deceased man was identified as 32-year-old Javonnta Marshann Murphy. He was found dead inside a barrel that was discovered floating in a lagoon in Malibu last Sunday. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office ruled that Murphy was shot in the head before his body was stuffed in the 55-gallon drum. Javonnta is the brother of Jaquan Murphy, who is one of the five people that were arrested in connection to Pop's murder.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are currently looking into the possibility that Murphy's death was retaliation for Pop's murder. The New York rapper was shot and killed in February 2020 during a home invasion in L.A. Surveillance footage found showed at least four masked men break into the home in Hollywood Hills. There were other people in the house with Pop, but he was the only one who was shot.
Five months after the incident, Jaquan Murphy was arrested alongside four other suspects including two juveniles. Corey Walker, 19, and Keandre D. Rogers, 18, were charged with murder while Murphy was hit with an attempted murder charge. Their bail was set at $1 million each. Jaquan was eventually cleared, but he's currently awaiting trial for an unrelated murder.