Lil Durk’s federal murder-for-hire trial is now scheduled to kick off on April 21.
The rapper, born Durk Banks, appeared in court last week, where a judge approved the defense’s request to push the trial back by at least three months. The defense had proposed shifting the start date from Jan. 20 to May 4, saying they needed more time to go through discovery and properly prepare for trial.
“We would have been ready to try the case (in two weeks), but the court appropriately decided that with everybody together, we still aren’t there yet,” Durk’s attorney Drew Findling told Rolling Stone reporter Nancy Dillon. These are the stepping stones towards a trial.”
Durk was taken into custody in Oct. 2024 on a murder-for-hire charge after five individuals allegedly connected to his Only the Family collective were accused of conspiring to carry out a murder-for-hire tied to the 2022 shooting of Quando Rondo.
Prosecutors believe the alleged hit was retaliation for the killing of King Von, which authorities say was carried out by Timothy “Lul Timm” Leeks, an associate of Rondo.
Although Rondo was not injured in the shooting, his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, lost his life.
Durk has remained incarcerated since his arrest. According to his legal team, the Chicago native has spent the last four months in solitary confinement after allegedly being found “in possession of an unauthorized Apple Watch.” His attorney, Christy O’Connor, claims Durk has been denied commissary access and is limited to just one phone call per month, with no in-person visits allowed.
Last week, his lawyers filed a motion requesting a status hearing, arguing that Durk has been detained “without process,” which they say violates federal regulations and may also breach the Eighth Amendment.
