Lil Durk has asked for both the judge and the prosecutor in his murder-for-hire case to be removed, arguing they withheld crucial information about threats coming from his fanbase.
According to Durk and his legal team, federal prosecutors buried key evidence for months — specifically, violent threats made against the court and the lead prosecutor.
Durk’s attorneys say prosecutors failed to disclose four disturbing voicemails left for Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue on Feb. 22, in which a caller threatened to kill the judge and “burn the world down” if Durk was convicted. The FBI launched an investigation soon after the messages were discovered, but Durk’s team claims they weren’t told about them until Oct. 1.
They also allege prosecutors stayed silent about another incident on Apr. 28, when a caller threatened to murder prosecutor Ian Yanniello and other courthouse staff.
Because the threats required coordination between the court, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service, Durk’s team argues that he was denied the chance to question the judge’s impartiality—tainting every ruling made while the information was concealed.
“The integrity of criminal prosecutions depends on transparency and impartiality. Here, both were fatally compromised,” the motion reads, saying the secrecy violated Durk’s right to due process. “Because these violations strike at the core of due process and the constitutional guarantee of receiving fair hearings in front of an impartial decision-maker, dismissal is the only adequate remedy.”
Durk’s lawyers accuse the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California of acting as “victim, investigator, and prosecutor” all at once. They’re asking for the indictment to be dismissed or, at minimum, for the case to be reassigned to a judge outside the district to preserve fairness.
In October, prosecutors requested an anonymous jury because of the voicemails.
“Defendants’ supporters have already attempted to intimidate individuals connected to this case,” the government wrote.
Durk — real name Durk Devontay Banks — is awaiting trial on murder-for-hire charges tied to the August 2022 killing of Saviay’a Robinson, cousin of rapper Quando Rondo.
