Lil Durk’s federal trial loses a prospective juror after he says the defendants look guilty as jury selection drags into Friday.
Lil Durk saw a juror dismissed Friday after the man said the defendants looked guilty and admitted he could not judge them fairly.
Juror No. 18 said his view came from looking at Lil Durk and the other defendants before hearing the government’s evidence or defense arguments.
Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald removed him from the pool as attorneys continued trying to seat an impartial jury for the federal murder-for-hire trial.
Jury selection was moving more slowly than expected Friday, with the court only about 40 percent through the current group of prospective jurors.
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That pace made opening statements unlikely Friday afternoon, although the schedule could still change if the court moves through the remaining candidates faster.
The slowdown undercut an earlier plan that could have put opening statements around 2 p.m. Friday after the lunch break.
The trial began Thursday, August 20, when roughly 80 prospective jurors entered the selection process before Fitzgerald in Los Angeles.
The court needs 12 jurors and four alternates before testimony can begin, and Thursday ended without a complete panel being seated.
Friday’s slowdown means the court must continue screening prospective jurors for bias before prosecutors and defense attorneys can finally address the panel.
AllHipHop previously reported that Lil Durk faces six counts in the Los Angeles case involving Quando Rondo and Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson.
Prosecutors accuse Lil Durk of arranging a paid attack on Quando after King Von was killed during a 2020 confrontation in Atlanta.
Quando survived the August 2022 shooting near Beverly Center, while Robinson died after gunfire struck the vehicle carrying both men.
Lil Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, has pleaded not guilty and denied arranging the alleged murder-for-hire plot described by prosecutors.
The current trial covers stalking allegations plus murder-for-hire and gun charges tied to the attack prosecutors say targeted Quando across state lines.
One count accuses the defendants of using a machine gun during a violent crime connected to the alleged plan against Quando.
Fitzgerald previously separated newer racketeering allegations involving Stephon Mack’s 2022 Chicago killing from the Los Angeles case now before prospective jurors.
That ruling left Lil Durk facing another federal trial after this case, although Fitzgerald has not scheduled the separate Chicago proceeding.
