Lil Durk found not guilty in murder-for-hire trial
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A federal jury on Friday, Sept 11, found rapper Lil Durk not guilty of the attempted killing for hire of rival rapper Quando Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station, a shooting that resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin.
The jury deliberated for three days before acquitting the 33-year-old Grammy-winning Chicago hip-hop artist of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire. Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, has remained in custody since his 2024 arrest.
Lil Durk receives acquittal as prosecutors prepare for second trial
Prosecutors alleged that Durk paid to have Rondo killed after someone from Rondo’s entourage fatally shot rapper King Von, a close friend of Durk’s and a member of his 'Only The Family' hip-hop collective, at an Atlanta nightclub in 2020.
According to the prosecution, a group of men flew to Los Angeles in August 2022 with funds provided by Durk and followed Rondo and his crew. Three gunmen later fired on Rondo’s Escalade near the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles.
Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was fatally shot.
The incident that allegedly spurred the shooting took place in Atlanta in 2020, after Bennett scuffled with Bowman outside a hookah lounge and was fatally shot by someone in Bowman’s entourage.
Durk won a Grammy earlier that year for Best Melodic Rap Performance for 'All My Life,' which features J Cole. He has been nominated for three other Grammys and was a featured performer on Drake’s 'Laugh Now Cry Later.'
Lil Durk supporters attend trial as co-defendants face convictions
Durk supporters, including music stars Machine Gun Kelly and Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, appeared in the audience during the two-week trial in downtown Los Angeles. Big groups of fans, live streamers and other content creators also gathered outside the courthouse, turning the trial into a media circus.
His co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death. Both were also acquitted of murder for hire.
“We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Wilson’s attorney Craig Harbaugh said in an email. “We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.”
Defense attorney Brian Steel described the three as unreliable “snitches, cooperators, rats” hoping to receive lighter sentences. Another defense attorney, Drew Findling, accused Grant of manipulating the people involved in the case, as well as the FBI, LAPD and members of the US Attorney’s Office.
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said the jury had delivered justice to the family of Saviay’a Robinson by finding Wilson and Lindsey guilty of stalking resulting in Robinson’s death. He added that prosecutors were disappointed by the decision regarding Durk and looked forward to presenting their evidence at his second trial.
