Member of Chicago’s Do or Die on Trial for Murder, Girlfriend Accused of Bribing Witnesses

Darnell Smith, otherwise known as Belo Zero of the Chicago-based group Do or Die, is presently on trial for murder, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune. Do or Die, which consists of Smith and partners Nard and AK-47, established a strong underground following during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and have worked with several prominent Chicago artists such as Twista, Kanye West and Crucial Conflict. The rapper has been charged with first-degree murder in the 2002 shooting of Raynard Pinkston, and has been out on bail since shortly after his arrest, the Tribune reports.

On Thursday (July 27) Smith’s girlfriend, Felicia Hamilton, was ordered to be held without bail on two felony charges of communication with a witness and obstruction of justice. The charges stem from a March incident where she allegedly paid $500 to a witness—who was wearing a wire at the time—and told the person not to show up in court. Cook County prosecutor Brian Sexton also claims that three other witnesses have stated that Hamilton paid them off, and he believes all eight of the people who witnessed the shooting have been given money to skip court. Hamilton was initially held on $500,000 bail, but because she was in violation of her probation for a prior charge, bail was denied.