Someone managed to snap a photo of Lil Durk’s co-defendants inside the courtroom — and it has the government heated as they prosecute the murder-for-hire case.
In a legal memo filed earlier this week, attorneys argued that the picture, which shows Durk’s co-defendants OTF Boogie and OTF Dede, is more proof that the case needs an anonymous jury — something prosecutors have been pushing for, while Durk and the other defendants strongly oppose. Electronics are banned inside federal courthouses except in rare situations, and taking photos during proceedings is strictly prohibited.
The image still made its way to Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook — and prosecutors are furious.
“This blatant violation of the federal rules, and the following widespread dissemination of the photograph, underscores that an anonymous jury is only one of the security measures this Court should employ to prevent improper attempts to intimidate and/or influence jurors, ensure a fair trial for all parties, and protect the judicial process,” the filing states.
Federal prosecutors have repeatedly argued for an anonymous jury in Durk’s case, pointing to threats, national attention, and the violent reputation of the rapper’s alleged criminal enterprise.
Durk’s camp, on the other hand, has fought hard against the idea, insisting that it would harm their ability to conduct proper jury selection.
This latest setback comes less than a week after Durk demanded the removal of both the judge and prosecutor from his case over allegations that they hid threats.
According to the rapper’s legal team, prosecutors buried key information — including four graphic voicemails left for Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue in February, where the caller threatened to kill the judge and “burn the world down” if Durk was convicted.
Durk’s lawyers also claimed prosecutors failed to disclose an April call in which the same caller allegedly threatened to murder prosecutor Ian Yanniello.
