Belo from Do or Die, Charged with murder

The girlfriend of a popular Chicago rap artist currently on trial for murder was ordered held without bail Thursday for allegedly paying off witnesses in her boyfriend's case and violating her probation. Felicia Hamilton, 34, of Forest Park, is charged with two felony counts each of communication with a witness and obstruction of justice, Cook County Assistant State's Atty. Brian Sexton said. Her boyfriend is Darnell Smith, who goes by the name "Belo" and is part of the Chicago rap group Do or Die, Sexton told Cook County Criminal Court Judge Colleen Hyland. Smith is charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Raynard Pinkston in November 2002. There were at least eight witnesses to the alleged shooting. Those witnesses had given written statements and testified before a grand jury about what they saw, prosecutors said. However, many of them recently recanted their prior testimonies to defense attorneys. "There are four total witnesses who say they got paid off," Sexton said. "We suspect they all got paid off." In March, Hamilton allegedly paid $500 to one of the witnesses. That witness told police of the payoff and wore a wire in a meeting with Hamilton in which she told him "not to come to the trial," Sexton said. A mother of another eyewitness told police she received $1,000, prosecutors said. Hamilton, a mother of four, is to appear in court again on Tueday for the charges of obstruction of justice and communicating with a witness. She is currently on probation for possession of a controlled substance. Hamilton was initially ordered held on $500,000 bail Thursday, but because she allegedly violated terms of her probation, she was held without bail. A judge will hear her alleged probation violation in court Wednesday. The same judge will hear both Hamilton and her boyfriend's cases. Smith has been out on bail for the alleged murder since shortly after the shooting, and has since recorded and toured with the group. He is to be appear in court again on Oct. 3. Do or Die has worked with other Chicago artists such as Kanye West.