"Circumstantially they have not proven anything" - DJ Akademiks thinks Lil Durk will beat his murder-for-hire case

A new, confidential witness seems to have emerged in the ongoing murder-for-hire trial against Lil Durk - orn Durk Devontay Banks. However, despite the latest development, DJ Akademiks remains certain that the incarcerated rapper will beat the charges he faces.

Akademiks Thinks Lil Durk Will Beat His Murder For Hire Case 👀 pic.twitter.com/lpKh2G9vhs

— Akademiks TV (@AkademiksTV) October 31, 2025

In a video posted on X by @AkademiksTV on Friday (October 31), Ak was captured saying:

"I think Durk is gonna take it to the box, and I think Durk is beat his case, and I'll tell you why later. Obviously the feds are gonna be difficult, but I do think that circumstantially they have not proven anything that they have against Durk other than a lot of other people's word of mouth."

Akademiks further assumed that the new witness in Durk's trial could be another imprisoned rapper - or one of his cellmates. Then, dismissing their credibility, he continued:

"The people who are telling on him are not people who have no reason to tell on him. These are people who are facing life in prison, so they are telling for benefits... if you think they're all criminals, why believe one over the other, right?"

For the unversed, Lil Durk's legal team has taken action against the suspicious appearance of the new witness and even filed a motion about the prosecution suppressing the evidence. 

Their legal filing reads:

"The affidavit further disclosed that CW-1 knew that defendant Banks placed other monetary bounties for the murder of people with whom defendant Banks was feuding, including six other individuals. The affidavit also listed significant evidence corroborating CW-1’s account of defendant Banks’ involvement in S.R.’s murder."

Banks was arrested in Florida last year and faces the murder-for-hire charges in relation to the 2022 killing of Saviay'a Robinson. Robinson, who was the cousin of Durk's rival, Quaundo Rondo, was killed in a shootout that was aimed at Rondo himself, who escaped unscathed.

Lil Durk's legal team has appealed to get his case dismissed 

The affidavit comes after Lil Durk's legal team continues its fight to get the rapper's case dismissed before the trial begins. 

Earlier in October 2026, a motion submitted by them argued that the prosecution's indictment lacked the details they needed to prepare for the upcoming trial. The motion read:

"While the Indictment alleges that the co-conspirators carried out various acts ‘at the direction of’ Mr. Banks—flying to Los Angeles; tracking, stalking, and attempting to kill [Quando Rondo] by gunfire; and procuring the firearms and equipment used to do so—it fails to give any specifics."

It pointed out how the specifics about how, when, and where these instructions were given were also not clear, which presented a challenge in the defense's preparation. It further read:

"What the Indictment fails to tell us are the very things the defense is entitled to know: the ‘operative facts’ underlying the government’s theories of Mr. Banks’ guilt. There is no allegation here that Mr. Banks physically participated in the stalking and shooting at issue."

The trial of Lil Durk's case will begin next year, on January 6, 2026. The rapper continues to maintain his innocence in the face of it.