Judge releases bail on Lil Durk in murder case using prison phone

A federal judge ordered rapper Lil Durk to remain in prison, awaiting trial for his murder and said he violated the prison rules and made a three-way call by using other inmates' phone accounts.

During a bail review hearing Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Donahue said the rapper’s legal name was Durk Devontay Banks, showing “disrespect for the rules” by using 13 other prisoners’ telephone accounts at the Metropolitan Detention Center at LA.

Banks' attorney Drew Findling argued that other inmates did the same and said the defense team did not "see it as a problem" which would prevent him from being released. He also told the judge that the bank wearing a white prayer hat was "committed to his Muslim faith."

Banks, 32, is accused of ordering the murder of Tyquian Bowman, Georgia-based rapper Quando Rondo, whose cousin was killed in a 2022 bombing ambush near the Beverly Center Mall in Los Angeles. The bank is not guilty of these charges.

Last week, prosecutors filed a replacement indictment, adding to stalking, resulting in death charges. The indictment deleted previous mentions of the lyrics, which had previously stated that banks used to commercialize the shooting.

The prosecutor had previously said that Banks had made a statement about his revenge, and Bowman, who "musically explicitly quoted audio from news clips," screamed, "No, no!" to see his cousin's body.

At a detention hearing in December, Finlin told the court that the mentioned song prosecutor recorded eight months before the shooting.

During Thursday's hearing, Findling focused on removing the lyrics from the indictment, saying it "proves false" that his client "monetized and celebrated the death of the case at its core."

"This murder has nothing to do with the defendant's lyrics, it has nothing to do with his music. It has nothing to do with his behavior," our assistant, Atty. Ian Yanniello told the judge.

Yanniello said the defense team failed to provide new information to undermine the judge's original December ruling that the bank was detained. Yanniello mentioned the prison phone number that the bank "will not follow the rules."

Discovery repeatedly calls the allegations against its clients “a generalization of flooding.”

"If you are going to charge the danger, there must be some details," Finlin told the judge.

Although Finlin said the bank was willing to hire 24/7 security to ensure the conditions imposed by the court, the judge questioned whether the guards would be willing to report the payment.

After the hearing, Finlin said the cases against his client “drained as contextual text messages.”

"We believe that a 32-year-old man with no record should have the right to spend time outside the prison cell with his family and colleagues," he said.

The bank's trial will begin on October 14.