FBG Duck

Six reputed gang members found guilty in Gold Coast slaying of rapper FBG Duck: ‘O Block ... is done’

“Knowing that they will not do that to another family brings me comfort,” said Duck’s mother, LaSheena Weekly, who insisted the verdict marked the downfall of the O Block faction that warred with her son’s gang set.

By Tom Schuba

FBG Duck

Jury starts deliberating in Gold Coast slaying of rapper FBG Duck after being told by prosecutor, ‘He was murdered by O Block’

Crime

Man who allegedly shot cop during Prada crash-and-grab had long criminal record, federal warrant for his arrest

FBG Duck

Prosecutors close their case in FBG Duck murder trial: ‘They brutally executed him ... when he was out shopping for his son’

FBG Duck

After a trial lasting nearly 3 months, jury set to get case of brazen Gold Coast slaying of rapper FBG Duck

FBG Duck

FBG Duck’s ex-girlfriend says defendant sent her 3 laughing emojis after allegedly summoning rapper’s killers

Dateisha House testified during the murder trial Wednesday that her child’s father, Ralph Turpin, sent the message shortly after FBG Duck was gunned down in the Gold Coast in August 2020.

By Tom Schuba

FBG Duck

Another call for mistrial in FBG Duck murder trial — this one sparked by YouTuber’s removal from courtroom

A motion filed Tuesday claims Aleta “Mickey Truth” Williams was pulled out of court last week after she falsely claimed that another YouTuber had been paid to testify in the case.

By Tom Schuba

Courtroom sketch of six members and associates of the O Block faction of the Black Disciples street gang as they sit in the courtroom during the trial over the killing of rapper FBG Duck.

FBG Duck

In a twist, prosecutors in FBG Duck murder trial intend to bring up criminal records of their own witnesses

The trial has grown into a spectacle that’s spilled out of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse and onto YouTube accounts and rap blogs that draw millions of viewers worldwide.

By Tom Schuba

In this courtroom sketch, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Julien questions rap blogger Martell Wiley as Judge Martha Pacold watches.

FBG Duck

YouTuber turned star witness in FBG Duck murder trial claims his FBI cooperation began after arrest by disgraced cop Ronald Watts

Martell Wiley’s claim came during his second day of testimony at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, where he sparred with defense attorneys who noted there was no evidence he had actually cooperated against Watts.

By Tom Schuba

Martell Wiley, who runs the Trenches News YouTube channel, wears a black mask covering his lower face and sits in what he says is a federal courtroom, in this screenshot from a video.

FBG Duck

Rap blogger boasts, cracks jokes while testifying against defendants in FBG Duck murder case: ‘I’m Michael Jordan on YouTube’

Martell Wiley, who runs the popular Trenches News YouTube channel, has always covered his face to discuss the often-violent intersection of Chicago’s gang and rap cultures — until his testimony Thursday in federal court.

By Tom Schuba

Police officers in uniform are surrounded by red crime scene tape as they place numbered yellow cards around the site of the fatal shooting of rapper FBG Duck.

FBG Duck

O Block member admits lying to FBI to avoid testifying in FBG Duck murder trial

The gangbanger-turned-informant told his handler last month that he believed O Block was responsible for his brother’s death. On the stand this week, he admitted that he lied.

By Tom Schuba

Chicago gangs

Star witness in FBG Duck murder trial is a masked rap blogger — and longtime government informant

Martell Wiley, who runs the popular Trenches News YouTube channel, was paid nearly $25,000 to cooperate with the government, an FBI agent testified Monday.

By Tom Schuba

LaSheena Weekly, mother of Carlton Weekly, widely known as FBG Duck, holds a sign with her son’s picture and song title at an outdoor news conference.

Entertainment or evidence of criminal enterprise? Drill rap takes center stage in FBG Duck murder trial

By Tom Schuba

Crime

Judge in rapper FBG Duck’s slaying case rejects push for mistrial

Attorneys for the six men charged in FBG Duck’s brazen killing moved to end the trial Wednesday amid concerns over an FBI agent’s testimony about alleged witness retaliation.

By Tom Schuba

FBG Duck murder trial expected to spotlight Chicago’s gang, rap ties

By Tom Schuba

FBG Duck’s Gold Coast killing followed yearslong gang war, feds say

By Frank Main

Crime

FBG Duck’s killing leads to charges against a sixth reputed O-Block street gang member

Ralph Turpin, 33, joins five other suspected O Block members accused of taking part in the attack on the rapper, Carlton Weekly, outside a Gold Coast boutique in 2020.

By Mohammad Samra

Afternoon Edition

PPP fraud uncovered in Chicago, informant reveals $100K bounty on FBG Duck and more in your Chicago news roundup

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

By Matt Moore

Carlton Weekly, the slain rapper known as FBG Duck.

$100K bounty was placed on killing Chicago rapper FBG Duck, informant told Chicago police

By Tom Schuba

Crime

15 seconds of mayhem on Gold Coast: FBI affidavit lifts curtain on FBG Duck murder case

The document lays out key evidence that led to last year’s indictment against five alleged O Block street gang members now accused in the brazen killing. It also points to so-called “diss tracks,” which have fueled street violence.

By Jon Seidel and Frank Main

LaSheena Weekly, mother of Carlton Weekly, who performed as FBG Duck, held a news conference with family and friends near the scene of her son’s fatal shooting in the first block of East Oak Street in the Gold Coast, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020.

Crime

Man charged in FBG Duck murder ordered detained

A federal prosecutor said Tacarlos “Los” Offerd purchased the vehicle used as the “lead car” in the Aug. 4, 2020, murder one week earlier. That vehicle was then returned to the dealership in the suburbs less than an hour after the deadly shooting, he said.

By Jon Seidel

U.S. Attorney John Lausch speaks about the efforts and impact of the investigation during a news conference at the FBI Chicago Field Office to announce arrests and federal charges in connection with the shooting and murder of FBG Duck, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.

Crime

Racketeering indictment charges five in Gold Coast murder of FBG Duck

The rapper was shot dead and two others were wounded in the targeted afternoon attack in the first block of East Oak Street. Shoppers were on the sidewalk when a pair of vehicles pulled up and two gunmen got out and opened fire.

By Jon Seidel and Madeline Kenney

LaSheena Weekly, mother of slain Chicago rapper FBG Duck, holds a press conference Friday in the first block of East Oak Street in the Gold Coast. Weekly asked that there be no retaliatory shootings to her son’s death.

Crime

Days after Gold Coast murder of FBG Duck, rapper’s mother calls for no retaliatory shootings

“I am asking that his fans, friends of my son, to please not seek retaliation in the death of my son…As his mother, I want to say please put the guns down so that the generation of tomorrow can grow and live and long and healthy life.”

By Sam Charles

Crime

Chicago police warns officers of possible retaliation for killing of rapper FBG Duck on Gold Coast

The rapper, whose name was Carlton Weekly, was shot Tuesday on Oak Street. Wednesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot seeking the public’s help to catch the shooters, said: ‘Give no shelter to killers.’

By Frank Main and Fran Spielman