The Tragic Death Of Lil Loaded

Dallas rapper Lil Loaded — whose real name is Deshawn Robertson — died at age 20 on May 31, per People. The rapper's lawyer, Ashkan Mehryari, confirmed the news to XXL Mag in a statement, saying, "Sadly, the rumors are true and Mr. Robertson did pass away today." The Dallas County medical examiner's office has not determined the cause of death, per Dallas Morning News. "He had a very bright and promising music career ahead of him," Mehryari told the news outlet.

The rapper's 2019 song "6locc 6a6y," which began as a YouTube hit and got him signed by Epic Records, was recently certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. He proudly shared the news on Instagram. Stanley Gabart's production company worked with Lil Loaded's label and said his death came as a shock. "This kid was on a great path," Gabart reflected, per Dallas Morning News. "He was struggling with some things we wish we would've known about, wish we could've intervened."

Lil Loaded had been facing some legal trouble leading up to his death. Read on to learn about the charges he was facing.

Lil Loaded was expected in court the day before his death

The 20-year-old rapper was scheduled the appear in court the day after his death for an admonishment hearing for the alleged murder of his friend, 18-year-old Khalia Walker.

In November 2020, Lil Loaded reportedly turned himself in and was arrested for the murder of Walker after there was a warrant out for his arrest, per Complex. On the day of the shooting, Lil Loaded had posted a short video on Instagram of someone who looked like Walker and wrote, "So much love fa u they thought we had the same mama [prayer hand emoji, sad face emoji] ima see u soon."

He also shared a photo on his Instagram account of his mug shot with the caption, "I appreciate all y'all support . They try to make u look guilty wen u innocent regardless .. we going to get pass this . Rip my brother love u." Lil Loaded was indicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter as his attorney said there was no sign of malice, per Complex. The rapper was out on $500,000 bond at the time of his death.