Lil Durk accused of threatening witnesses in murder-for-hire trial
Lil Durk is currently facing murder-for-hire charges and has been accused of threatening witnesses ahead of his trial. The Chicago rapper (real name Durk Banks) has remained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles since October in connection with the death of Quando Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson.
Durk recently attempted to dismiss the charges against him and was denied bail earlier this month after numerous requests. According to a judge, he showed “a disrespect for the rules” by using 13 other inmates’ phone accounts to make more calls than permitted.
Now, prosecutors are claiming Durk threatened multiple witnesses who are set to play essential roles in the October 14th trial. In a legal filing obtained by AllHipHop, US Attorney Bilal A. Essayli said, “[Lil Durk] is not on trial for his lyrics or his music; he is on trial because he directed, orchestrated, and financed the brazen murder plot at issue in this case.”
He continued, “The motion fails to cite any legitimate basis to dismiss the indictment or unseal grand jury transcripts, particularly in this murder case where witnesses and their family members have already been threatened.”
Last month, Durk’s family called out the government for using his lyrics against him, specifically his verse on Babyface Ray’s ‘Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy’ and an unreleased song titled ‘Scoom His Ass’.
“The recent developments in Durk’s legal case have brought a harsh truth to light: the government presented false evidence to a grand jury to indict him,” they wrote. “This isn’t justice. That’s a violation of the very system that’s supposed to protect all of us.
“Durk has always used music to tell stories, to express pain to heal—and yet those same lyrics are now being used against him. We refuse to stay silent as black artists continue to be criminalised for their creativity. Rap is art.”