Grammy-winning Chicago rapper Lil Durk has been cleared of all charges in his closely watched federal murder-for-hire trial in Los Angeles.
A jury found the 33-year-old artist, whose legal name is Durk Devontay Banks, not guilty on Friday, September 11, following a weeks-long trial and three days of deliberations.
His co-defendants, Deandre “DeDe” Wilson and David “Browneyez” Lindsey, were also acquitted of the charges against them.
Jury rejects prosecution’s revenge-plot case
Federal prosecutors accused Durk of orchestrating and financing an August 2022 plot to murder fellow rapper Quando Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Bowman.
The government alleged that the planned attack was retaliation for the November 2020 death of Durk’s friend and fellow Chicago rapper King Von.
Von, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett, was fatally shot outside an Atlanta nightclub following an altercation involving Rondo’s associates.
Prosecutors claimed that members of Durk’s Only the Family collective followed Rondo through Los Angeles before opening fire on a vehicle carrying him near the Beverly Center.
Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, was killed.
Durk faced five federal charges, including conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and use of interstate facilities in a murder-for-hire resulting in death. A conviction on the most serious counts could have resulted in life imprisonment.
The jury ultimately found that prosecutors had not proved Durk’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Defence challenged witnesses and evidence
Prosecutors presented evidence involving travel arrangements, hotel bookings and expenses allegedly connected to the shooting.
They also relied on testimony from cooperating witnesses, including former Durk associate Kacey “OTF Jam” Hester and Kavon “OTF Vonnie” Grant, who had pleaded guilty before the trial.
The defence attacked the credibility of those witnesses, arguing that they had incentives to implicate Durk in an effort to reduce their own potential sentences.
Durk’s lawyers maintained throughout the trial that the rapper neither ordered nor participated in the attack.
During closing arguments, attorney Brian Steel described the prosecution’s case as being overwhelmed by a “tsunami of reasonable doubt”, while fellow defence lawyer Drew Findling told jurors that the evidence did not connect Durk to the alleged conspiracy.
Findling had addressed supporters outside the courthouse after the second day of deliberations, saying he felt “proud” to represent Durk and that the defence team believed in his innocence.
Jurors asked the court several questions while deliberating, including requests for clarification about “conspiracy”, “intent” and “overt acts”. They returned their verdicts on the third day.
Acquittal may not end Durk’s legal battle
Durk’s acquittal is a major victory after he spent nearly two years in federal custody following his arrest in South Florida in October 2024.
However, it may not immediately end his legal difficulties.
Separate racketeering charges added in a later indictment were removed from the murder-for-hire trial and are expected to be handled in different proceedings. The existence of those charges could affect whether and when Durk is released from federal custody.
The murder-for-hire acquittal applies only to the five charges decided by the Los Angeles jury and does not automatically dispose of the separate racketeering case.
Durk rose to prominence as one of the leading figures in Chicago’s drill music scene and founded the Only the Family collective.
He won his first Grammy Award in 2024 for All My Life, his collaboration with J. Cole.
Friday’s verdict means Durk, Wilson and Lindsey cannot be retried on the charges of which they were acquitted, because the US Constitution prohibits double jeopardy.
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