Lil Durk‘s legal team has been striving to maneuver through his murder-for-hire case, yet the challenges seem ever-increasing.

With his trial scheduled to start next month and new charges being introduced by federal prosecutors, the situation appears more daunting. Despite his lawyers’ efforts to separate charges or dismiss the case entirely, authorities have insisted that the trial must proceed as planned.

Durk’s team sought to isolate the newly added gang murder charge from the original murder-for-hire case linked to Lul Pub’s death. They argued that these new charges might delay the trial and violate Durk’s right to a prompt trial. He has already spent over 21 months in custody since his arrest.

The government countered by highlighting how Durk was in the process of booking flights at the time of his co-defendants’ arrests in Chicago, ultimately leading to his own arrest on a private jet’s tarmac.

They contend that the charges he faces are interconnected with similar evidence, meaning separating the trials would require witnesses to testify more than once. Given previous issues around witness tampering and threats, as well as courtroom photos being leaked online, there’s a strong case for conducting a single trial to avoid re-traumatizing witnesses.

Prosecutors cited the murder of Stephon Mack in their response to Durk’s request. Two individuals had admitted guilt in separate federal cases for attempting to collect a bounty tied to Mack’s death, implicating Durk.

A text message revealed intentions to wait for Durk’s return to Chicago and included a confession made behind bars — evidence that hinged on securing prior convictions. Additionally, there was allegedly a text from Durk suggesting others delete and restart message threads amid concerns about police investigations.

Prosecutors argue that the lengthy investigation is due in part to Durk’s own actions, such as allegedly trying to hide evidence and requesting the trial be postponed to October 2025 instead of 2024.