Grammy-winning Chicago rapper Lil Durk has been cleared of allegations that he arranged a murder-for-hire scheme against fellow rapper Quando Rondo, an alleged retaliation plot that left another man dead.
A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted Lil Durk — born Durk Banks — on Friday of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder-for-hire charges. The verdict came after jurors deliberated for three days.
The high-profile Lil Durk trial drew a large contingent of supporters to the downtown Los Angeles federal courthouse, with Machine Gun Kelly and Kanye West among the artists in attendance.
“Lil Durk is not guilty on ALL COUNTS,” Ye posted on X.
Federal prosecutors had accused the 33-year-old artist of financing a group of men who traveled to Los Angeles in August 2022, tracked Rondo and those around him, and then carried out a shooting near the Beverly Center. Three gunmen allegedly fired on the Cadillac Escalade outside a gas station.
Quando Rondo, whose legal name is Tyquian Terrel Bowman, survived. But his cousin, 24-year-old Saviay’a Robinson — known as Lul Pab — was killed in the attack.
Authorities said roughly 18 shots were fired into the SUV carrying Rondo and Robinson.
Prosecutors argued that the shooting was driven by revenge over the 2020 killing of Durk’s close friend and fellow rapper King Von, born Dayvon Bennett. They alleged Rondo was targeted after someone from his group fatally shot King Von outside an Atlanta nightclub.
That earlier fatal encounter began with a fistfight between Bennett and Rondo at a hookah lounge before Bennett was shot and killed.
“(Durk) had his shooters on speed dial,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Yanniello said during closing arguments, according to the Los Angeles Times. “No one is saying he was the one on the ground with a gun in his hand in Los Angeles, but you know this story doesn’t happen without him, and it doesn’t make sense without his leadership.”
“(Durk) used his money, his power, and his influence to try to kill his biggest opp,” Yanniello added.
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Testimonies from Kacey “OTF Jam” Hester and Keith Jones, two men who admitted to the shooting, were used in the trial alongside Durk’s former personal assistant Kavon Grant, the outlet reported.
Attorneys for Durk painted Hester, Jones and Grant as unreliable “snitches, cooperators, rats” who had testified to get lighter sentences.
He claimed Grant was a “master of deception” who had access to Durk’s money to secure the guns and get revenge for Bennett’s death, his cousin.
“[Federal agents] targeted Durk,” defense attorney Brian Steel said, according the Los Angeles Times.
Durk’s two co-defendants, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death in Robinson’s murder trial.
The jury had acquitted the two of murder for hire.
“Today, the jury delivered justice to the family of Saviay’a Robinson, finding defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey guilty of stalking resulting in Mr. Robinson’s death,” First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said after the verdicts. “While we are disappointed with the jury’s decision regarding Durk Banks, a.k.a. ‘Lil Durk,’ we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial.”
Wilson’s attorney has already requested that the judge acquit him of the convictions.
“We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Craig Harbaugh told the Associated Press. “We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.”
Durk remains behind bars, despite the acquittal, as he awaits a trial for a racketeering charge
He is best known for his hit 2023 “All My Life” featuring J. Cole that won the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
With Post wires