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Lil Durk Wins Motion to Split New Gang Charges From Murder-For-Hire Case
A judge granted Lil Durk’s motion to separate new racketeering charges from his murder-for-hire case and kept the trial set for Aug. 20.
In a case that has already been pushed back more than once, Lil Durk picked up a meaningful pre-trial win this week when a judge agreed to separate newly added gang-related charges from his murder-for-hire proceedings.
According to documents obtained by XXL on Tuesday (July 14), Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald granted the Chicago rapper’s motion to sever prosecutors’ racketeering allegations tied to alleged OTF, or Only The Family, gang violence in Chicago. Fitzgerald also kept the case on track for its scheduled Aug. 20 start date.
Durk’s attorney, Drew Findling, said the defense welcomed the ruling and continues to stand by the rapper’s innocence.
“We are very happy with the court’s order. For 21 months, we have been unwavering in our commitment to Mr. Banks and his innocence and look forward to an Aug. 20, 2026, trial,” he said.
The decision came after a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles earlier Tuesday. In a Billboard report, the judge was said to have criticized prosecutors for adding the racketeering counts in June while also seeking yet another delay in a case that had already been stalled.
“You think you will have a better chance to win if the Chicago count is tried with the Los Angeles murder. That’s obvious,” the judge reportedly told lead prosecutor Ian Yanniello. “You treat that as a feature. I treat that as a bug.”
Judge Fitzgerald ultimately said it would be “much simpler” to move forward with one trial focused on the Los Angeles murder, with the possibility of a second trial later on the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering, or VICAR, gang counts prosecutors added in June.
Durk, born Durk Devontay Banks, has been in custody since October 2024, when he was arrested and charged with murder-for-hire in connection with the 2022 killing of Quando Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson.
