Prosecutors in Lil Durk's ongoing criminal case have addressed the allegedly threatening voicemails that apparent fans of the rapper left for Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue. According to new documents obtained by AllHipHop, the state argues that the remarks were not serious enough to warrant removing the judge or disqualifying the prosecution.
“The law is clear that ‘threats or other attempts to intimidate the judge’ do ‘not ordinarily require recusal,'” prosecutors wrote. “... Following defendants’ reasoning, any time a district or magistrate judge in a district is threatened, regardless of the circumstances of the threat, defendants would be allowed to disqualify all judges."
Additionally, the prosecution countered complaints from Durk's legal team about not having been informed of the voicemails beforehand. They suggested that they had no obligation to inform the defense because the threats targeted the judge, not any evidence specifically.
As for the voicemails in question, they were sent as Durk remains behind bars while awaiting his murder-for-hire trial. “If they get life… I’m gonna burn this motherf*cker down. Burn it to the ground… It’s not a game b*tch," one caller allegedly said, according to Complex. Another added: “Free Durk, or we gonna shoot that motherf*cker up.”
Lil Durk Murder-For-Hire Case
Durk's attorney, Drew Findling, previously outlined why the defense felt the need to remove Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue from the case. “The integrity of criminal prosecutions depends on transparency and impartiality," Findling wrote. "Here, both were fatally compromised. Because these violations strike at the core of due process and the constitutional guarantee of receiving fair hearings in front of an impartial decision-maker, dismissal is the only adequate remedy."
Authorities originally arrested Lil Durk in October 2024. He is being charged for allegedly ordering the shooting of his rival Quando Rondo, which instead resulted in the death of Rondo’s friend Lul Pab. He has denied the allegations. His trial is scheduled to begin on January 6, 2026.
