Durk Banks’ Lawyers Push for Bail After Charges Weaken

Chicago, IL — Days after federal prosecutors dropped controversial rap lyrics from his murder-for-hire case, lawyers for rapper Durk Banks are arguing that the new, less severe charges support his bid for release from jail before trial. In a court filing on May 6, Banks’ attorneys stated that the removal of lyrics and allegations related to a supposed ‘bounty’ payment has significantly weakened the case against him.

The lawyers claim the prosecution has effectively acknowledged presenting ‘false and/or misleading information’ initially. ‘With the issues of the lyrics and the payout of a “bounty” altogether abandoned, what remains of the indictment is a weak patchwork of unsupported and non-specific allegations against Mr. Banks,’ defense attorney Drew Findling wrote. The lawyers requested the court reconsider granting bail based on these developments.

Banks, known as the Chicago drill star, was arrested in October and charged with murder-for-hire and gun violations. Prosecutors initially alleged that he ordered members of his Only the Family (OTF) crew to carry out a deadly attack on rival rapper Rondo in 2022. In support of their claims, they cited lyrics from his song “Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy,” in which the rapper seemingly referenced the incident.

However, Banks’ legal team countered that the song predated the shooting by seven months, arguing that it could not connect him to the crime. Despite prosecutors defending the lyrics’ inclusion in the indictment, an updated version released on May 1 omitted them entirely.

Findling emphasized the significance of this change, stating that the lyrics were a ‘hotly contested’ issue during a December hearing that resulted in a denial of bail. He urged that the removal of the lyrics requires the judge to reconsider bail. ‘The government has now been proven wrong and has removed the reference, substantially depreciating the weight of the allegations,’ he added.

The elimination of the ‘bounty’ allegation is seen by Banks’ attorneys as a further weakening of the government’s case. They assert that this change should convince the court to grant bail, calling it a material undercutting of earlier claims made to justify keeping Banks in custody.

In response, prosecutors have insisted that the revised indictment still contains critical allegations that illustrate Banks’ alleged involvement in an execution-style murder on a busy Los Angeles street corner. The judge is expected to decide on the bail motion in the coming weeks, with a hearing potentially scheduled for next month. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not provide immediate comments.