Source: Claudio Lavenia / Getty
On July 31, a barrel washed up on the shores of a beach in Malibu. Inside that barrel was the naked body of 32-year-old Javonnta Murphy, who was reportedly a local singer, songwriter, and aspiring rapper in L.A. According to TMZ, Javonnta is also the brother of Jaquan Murphy, one of the five people arrested in connection with the February 2020 killing of rapper Pop Smoke. Now, the authorities in the Los Angeles area are investigating whether or not there’s a link between Javonnta’s death and that of the “Dior” rapper.
From TMZ:
Jaquan was first charged with attempted murder for Pop Smoke’s death, but later cleared. He is, however, currently awaiting trial for an unrelated murder in L.A. County.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s investigators are currently looking into the possibility Javonnta’s murder was a retaliation killing for Pop’s murder. Of course, it’s not their only theory, but definitely one they’re digging into.
According to Meaww, The L.A. County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner identified Javonnta but gave no public ruling regarding the cause of his death.
From Meaww:
Murphy was found stuffed in a 55-gallon drum, which was spotted by a sanitation worker floating along the coast near the 23200 block of Pacific Coast Highway on July 30. The worker tried to drag it back to the shore but they failed due to the heavy weight. The next morning, a lifeguard noticed the barrel and swam to retrieve it. The lifeguard reportedly opened the sealed drum due to its suspicious weight. An insider familiar with the investigation told Los Angeles Times that the death was probably a case of foul play because the barrel was shut and sealed and the man inside was completely naked. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives are investigating his death and believe that the high tide may have carried the barrel into Malibu Lagoon from the ocean.
(In general, if you find a deceased human being in a barrel, you don’t have to guess at whether there was foul play.)
Hopefully, the truth comes to light and Javonnta Murphy’s killer or killers are brought to justice as well as Pop Smoke’s.
