A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk on Friday of orchestrating a 2022 murder-for-hire plot targeting rival Atlanta rapper Quando Rondo, which instead killed Rondo’s cousin near the Beverly Center. While two co-defendants were convicted on stalking charges, the defense successfully argued the musician had no involvement.
After three days of deliberations, a federal jury in downtown Los Angeles delivered its verdicts on Friday, Sept. 11, clearing the Chicago drill star—whose legal name is Durk Banks—of all federal counts against him. The trial centered on an Aug. 19, 2022, shooting in broad daylight near the high-traffic Beverly Center shopping area. An energetic crowd of apparent fans and content creators gathered outside the downtown LA courthouse after news of a verdict was in, and a crowd of jubilant Lil Durk fans celebrated outside of the downtown Los Angeles courtroom after the verdict was read on Friday evening.
Federal Charges, Defense Strategy, and the Beverly Center Shooting
Federal prosecutors told jurors that Banks, 33, set in motion a deadly ambush by paying for a hit team to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles to kill Tyquian Bowman, a rival Atlanta rapper known as Quando Rondo as detailed by the Department of Justice. According to the government’s case, the intended hit served as retaliation for the 2020 killing of Banks’ close friend and Only the Family (OTF) affiliate Dayvon “King Von” Bennett at an Atlanta nightclub. Prosecutors contended Banks paid for a hit team to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles in August 2022 with the intention of killing Bowman, but the plan went awry when their shots mistakenly killed 24-year-old Saviay’a Robinson, Bowman’s cousin, who was seated in a black Escalade with the intended victim. Prosecutors said gunmen fired at least 18 rounds at Bowman’s vehicle outside the high-traffic shopping area, and the gunfire mistakenly killed Bowman’s 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab as confirmed in court records.
Banks pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy, stalking using a dangerous weapon, stalking resulting in death, and two counts involving murder-for-hire allegations. His defense team argued he had no part in the scheme, instead pointing the finger at his former personal assistant, Kavon Grant. Lawyers maintained that Grant—who subsequently switched sides and testified for the government—set up the intended killing of Bowman to impress his boss following plea agreements from cooperating insiders. Banks’ attorneys, however, maintained that the 33-year-old Chicago rapper wasn’t involved in the planned hit.
Co-Defendant Convictions and the Prosecution Case
While the jury cleared Banks of all charges, two of his alleged co-conspirators were partially convicted. Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey—both affiliates of the hip hop collective Banks founded called Only the Family, known as OTF — were found guilty of conspiracy to commit stalking and stalking, though they were acquitted of the murder-for-hire charges. Three defendants total, including Banks, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, stalking using a dangerous weapon, stalking resulting in death, and two counts involving murder-for-hire allegations. Banks’ co-defendants — Deandre Dontrell Wilson and David Brian Lindsey — were convicted of stalking and conspiracy to commit stalking charges — but acquitted of other counts, and they’ll be sentenced at a later date.
The prosecution’s case rested largely on testimony from three alleged participants in the plot who pled guilty and became government cooperators: Kacey “OTF Jam” Hester, Keith “Flacka” Jones, and Kavon “Vonnie” Grant. Prosecutors also played several of Banks’ top 40 tracks during the trial, including his top 40 hits Who Want Smoke??
, “Ahhh Ha” and “Pissed Me Off.” Prosecutors argued that Banks telegraphed the Rondo murder plot in these tracks, such as in the “Ahhh Ha” lyrics, Don’t respond to s–t with Von/ I’m like, ‘f–k it, you trippin’, go get your gun’/ They droppin’ locations, I’m gettin’ it done/ F–k tweetin’, we slidin’, the feds are comin’.
Defense attorneys countered throughout the trial that the cooperating witnesses were lying.
Defense Victory and Remaining Legal Hurdles Ahead
Following the acquittal, defense attorney Drew Findling celebrated the outcome outside the courthouse, telling reporters about the historic nature of the verdict in statements captured by legal representatives.
“Twenty-two months ago, Durk and I made an agreement that we would make history with the greatest verdict in this country, and it happened today. Durk is not guilty of all charges.”
Drew Findling, Defense Attorney
Findling added, The shackles must come off, and he must walk free so that he can come home to his beautiful family and to the world that loves him.
According to his legal team, Durk will remain in custody. Despite the acquittal on the murder-for-hire indictment, Banks remains in federal custody due to a separate federal racketeering case that accuses him of operating his OTF label as a violent gang. Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald excluded that new count from the original trial and scolded prosecutors for tacking it on at the last minute. A second trial is currently scheduled for Oct. 5, where if convicted on all counts, Banks faced a life sentence in federal prison.