Last updated: 11:49 AM ET, Oct 28, 2026

By Dopeboy Diesel

Jay-Z and J. Cole have written letters to U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald in support of Lil Durk's bid for release from federal custody, part of a new bond package his attorneys filed Tuesday, Oct. 27, asking the judge to reconsider his earlier detention order, ahead of a Nov. 4 bond hearing in Los Angeles. The filing also includes a letter from Sony Music Entertainment saying the company is prepared to guarantee an appearance bond of up to $1 million.

Durk, born Durk Banks, was acquitted by a jury on all counts at his federal murder-for-hire trial on Sept. 11. He remains in custody on separate racketeering-related charges set for trial Aug. 30, 2027. He has not been convicted in that case and is presumed innocent.

What Jay-Z and J. Cole wrote

Jay-Z, in a letter dated Oct. 12 and filed as Exhibit D, wrote that he met Durk several years ago. "He was kind, respectful and focused on his career," he wrote, praising Durk for signing young artists from his community and "giving them a real path into a legitimate industry."

He also pointed to the verdict. "That verdict deserves weight," Jay-Z wrote. In a later paragraph, he added: "I do not minimize the seriousness of the charges Durk faces, and I respect the Court's obligation to protect the community. However, Durk has now spent nearly two years in custody with his remaining trial not set to begin until August 2027."

J. Cole's letter, filed as Exhibit B, according to the court filing, tells the story behind "All My Life," their Grammy-winning collaboration. Cole wrote that he first asked for a different song because the record was "so positive, it's too obvious for me." Durk held firm. "He wanted to push a message of change and of peace and of growth and maturity," Cole wrote.

Sony's $1 million letter

Exhibit F is a Sept. 14 letter, addressed to the court, from Stephanie Yu, who signs as "General Counsel & EVP, Business & Legal Affairs." It reads: "This letter will serve as confirmation that Sony Music Entertainment is prepared to guarantee an appearance bond for Mr. Banks up to an amount of $1,000,000." Yu added that Sony has "also agreed that Mr. Banks is allowed to forfeit his future earnings toward the bond in an amount to be determined by this Honorable Court."

Other letters

LA Magazine reported the defense submitted seven letters. Beyond Jay-Z, Cole and Sony:

  • Andrea Robinson, mother of Saviay'a "Lul Pab" Robinson, who was killed in the 2022 shooting at the center of the first trial. Rolling Stone and LA Magazine report her one-sentence letter says the family does not object to bond if the court deems it appropriate. It does not ask for his release.

  • Michael Rubin, the Fanatics founder, who wrote that he "first met Durk through my work with the REFORM Alliance," according to the filing.

  • Kimberly Foxx, former Cook County State's Attorney. "Given his acquittal and that presumption, I believe he should be released on reasonable conditions set by the Court," she wrote, according to the filing.

  • Andre Norman, founder of the Academy of Hope and Second Chance University. "If bond is granted, I will personally mentor Mr. Banks," he wrote, according to the filing.

The proposed conditions

The package answers Fitzgerald's own words. Denying bail in June 2025, the judge wrote that "any set of conditions would need to impoverish defendant and lead to the forfeiture of all interest in his intellectual property," Courthouse News reported.

According to LA Magazine and Rolling Stone, the new proposal pledges Durk's future music royalties, publishing, merchandise and name-and-likeness income, plus touring money, along with cash, property pledged by supporters and the home where his mother lives. If he violated his bond, his lawyers wrote, "he and his family would remain penniless going forward."

Both sides

His attorneys argue the acquittal weakens the government's case and lowers any incentive to flee or tamper with witnesses, since the next trial involves the same killing and cooperating witnesses. "Common sense confirms that a rational defendant is less likely to flee or tamper with potential witnesses when he knows that the evidence against him is too weak to convict him of a charge," they wrote, per Rolling Stone. In a footnote, they flagged a possible double jeopardy issue but said the motion does not argue it.

The defense motion itself states that "the government opposes Mr. Banks' request for bond." No government response brief was publicly available as of Wednesday morning. In earlier rounds, prosecutors argued Durk was a flight risk and a danger to the community. In June 2025, Fitzgerald rejected a $4.5 million package with home detention and private security and found that Durk had attempted to flee abroad when he was arrested near Miami International Airport in October 2024 after booking international flights, according to Courthouse News and Rolling Stone.

Fitzgerald hears the motion Nov. 4. No ruling has been made.

The case so far

Prosecutors alleged Durk was behind a plot to kill rapper Quando Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 death of King Von. Rondo survived the Aug. 19, 2022 shooting in Los Angeles; Robinson, his cousin, was killed. On Sept. 11, 2026, after three days of deliberations, a jury acquitted Durk of every count he was tried on, including murder-for-hire, stalking resulting in death and conspiracy. Co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of stalking-related counts and acquitted of murder-for-hire, Billboard and Rolling Stone reported.

In June, about two months before that trial, prosecutors added murder in aid of racketeering and firearms charges, alleging Durk led a criminal enterprise tied to Robinson's death, a 2022 Chicago killing and an alleged 2019 attempted murder in Atlanta. Fitzgerald severed them as too late. That case, which also names Wilson, Lindsey and co-defendant Asa Houston, goes to trial Aug. 30, 2027, LA Magazine reported. None of the defendants has been convicted of those charges.