Murder victim’s mother says she’s relieved to learn of Jacksonville rapper’s upgraded charges

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hakeem Robinson was quiet as he stood in front a judge on Friday. The judge told him his two separate second-degree murder charges that he had already been in jail for were upgraded to first-degree murder.

Robinson, known as rapper Ksoo, is accused of shooting and killing 16-year-old Adrian Gainer in 2019. He references Gainer by his nickname, Bibby, in his viral rap videos.

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Gainer’s mother, Elizabeth, said Robinson’s upgraded charge is a sign of hope.

“It was a relief because I was terrified the entire time. It’s a relief because now I’ve got my faith in the court system,” said Elizabeth Gainer.

Robinson is also charged in the 2020 death of Charles McCormick. Robinson’s brother, Abdul Robinson Jr., and Leroy Whitaker are now also charged with first-degree murder in McCormick’s death. They also appeared in court Friday afternoon. JSO said all three men have ties to the violent gang, ATK.

In the McCormick case, Robinson’s attorneys say he doesn’t fit the description of the shooter seen in the following picture.

His attorneys sent News4Jax a statement following his new charges saying:

“The government can invite defendants to appear before the grand jury. Mr. Robinson, however, wasn’t invited because the government knows that had he walked into the room the grand jurors would have quickly realized Mr. Robinson cannot be the small statured shooter in the video.”

“I just can’t wait until this trial is over with so we can finally start to heal because none of us have healed yet. None of us have begun to heal yet,” said Elizabeth Gainer.

She said she is hopeful she will get justice for her son.

Before Robinson’s charges were upgraded, he had a $4 million bond. Last week, a bond reduction hearing was held and the judge took it under advisement. The judge announced Friday that Robinson does not have a bond.

It’s unclear what prompted the Fourth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office to upgrade Hakeem Robinson’s charges. The investigation into the case is ongoing.

If convicted, Robinson could face life in prison.