Lil Durk’s attempt to get his federal murder-for-hire case thrown out over alleged death threats to a judge has been denied, keeping the high-profile prosecution on track for trial in Los Angeles this spring. According to legal reporting by Meghann Cuniff and further detailed by Legal Affairs and Trials, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald rejected the Chicago rapper’s motion on Wednesday, ruling there was “absolutely no basis” to dismiss the case or recuse the federal bench over the issue of undisclosed threatening voicemails.
According to Legal Affairs and Trials, Lil Durk — real name Durk Banks — is accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot targeting rapper Quando Rondo (Tyquian Terrel Bowman) as retaliation for the 2020 killing of his close friend King Von, with the alleged plan culminating in an August 19, 2022 shooting near a Beverly Hills–area gas station that left Bowman’s cousin Saviay’a Robinson dead.[4][3] Banks was arrested in October 2024 and has remained in federal custody since, facing charges that could reportedly carry a potential life sentence if he is convicted.[2][4]
The latest motion centered on four threatening voicemails that a U.S. magistrate judge received after previously denying Durk’s bail request. Durk’s lawyers argued that prosecutors allegedly concealed the messages for months, claiming that earlier disclosure might have allowed them to seek the judge’s recusal or challenge the bail decision more aggressively.[1][4] According to Legal Affairs and Trials, the defense pushed for either dismissal of the indictment, disqualification of the entire Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office, or recusal of all judges in the Central District of California.[4]
Judge Fitzgerald rejected those arguments, finding no legal basis to dismiss the case or to recuse the bench, and noting there was no indication the voicemails influenced any judicial decision.[4][2] Music Times reports that Fitzgerald also declined to alter the existing bail order, effectively maintaining the status quo and allowing the prosecution to move forward toward trial.[2] The court has not yet ruled on a separate motion to impanel an anonymous jury, though Fitzgerald has indicated he is inclined to restrict public disclosure of juror identities.[4]
With this ruling, Lil Durk’s federal murder-for-hire case remains on course for a projected late April 2026 trial start, with dates of either April 21 or April 28 under consideration, according to both Music Times and prior reporting on the scheduling conference.[2][3][4] The case, which stems from an alleged interstate retaliation plot tied to long-running tensions and the death of King Von, represents one of the most closely watched criminal proceedings involving a mainstream rap star in recent years, and its outcome could have major implications for Durk’s career, freedom, and the broader conversation around street violence intersecting with commercial hip-hop.
