Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire trial was recently delayed from April to August, and now we have more details about what’s next.
Lil Durk was arrested over a year ago on murder-for-hire charges, and his legal battle has not gotten any easier. Folks recently learned of a delay in the case from April to August. Now, we have more details as to what the court will do next in this trial.
According to Billboard, Judge Michael Fitzgerald ruled on Friday (February 27) that the rapper’s three codefendants in this case (Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Asa Houston, and David Brian Lindsey) will not be severed from his trial. They face similar murder-for-hire allegations. Ahead of this most recent delay, the three codefendants previously requested the severance due to the risk that evidence against Durk might negatively impact their defenses. Now, Judge Fitzgerald ruled that the trial’s delay will give them more time to prep for the joint trial.
“We are fully prepared to proceed to trial. The matter was continued by the court over our objection,” Smurk’s lawyer Drew Findling reportedly stated to Billboard. A spokesperson for prosecutors reportedly declined to comment. Meanwhile, the attorneys for the three codefendants reportedly did not immediately respond to requests for a comment.
When Is Lil Durk’s Trial?
Now, Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire trial will begin on August 20, according to this new report. He and his legal team previously opposed these delays.
Not only that, but the Chicago rapper and his lawyers deny the allegations against him, and he pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors are accusing him of ordering a hit on Quando Rondo earlier this decade, which allegedly led to a 2022 shooting in Los Angeles that targeted Rondo and killed his cousin Lul Pab.
As for other developments in Lil Durk’s case, the judge in this case allowed for certain lyrics and music video moments to enter as evidence in this trial. This became a controversial decision given the conversations around rap music being on trial.
With all of this in mind, we will see how this rocky case continues to develop amid all these delays and codefendant discrepancies. Fans of The Voice continue to speak out against these hurdles. But we will see what a court of law concludes with the appropriate evidence.