Lil Durk was acquitted of all charges Friday after a two-week trial where prosecutors accused him of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot and defense lawyers attacked the credibility of the government’s cooperating witnesses, calling them admitted killers who implicated the Grammy-winning rapper to avoid life sentences. The Grammy-winning rapper hung his head and started crying as the verdict was read. His wife, India Royale, wrapped her arm around his mother in the second row of the gallery.
The jury of seven women and five men took three days to return their resounding win for the “All My Life” rapper. His co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking, and stalking resulting in death. Durk, born Durk Banks, will remain in custody pending a second trial on a racketeering count that was severed from the initial trial.
As the verdict was read Friday, his lawyer Christy O’Connor linked arms with Banks to steady him as he broke down with emotion. Banks, 33, had been facing five federal counts at the trial in downtown Los Angeles, including conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking resulting in death, and murder for hire. Prosecutors claimed he put a price on rival rapper Quando Rondo’s head because he blamed the Georgia musician for the 2020 killing of his close friend and musical protégé, King Von.
They claimed the alleged bounty set off a chain of events that ended with Quando Rondo’s cousin dead. Durk denied the allegations, and jurors found the government failed to prove its case. In closing arguments Tuesday, prosecutors said Banks “wanted revenge” for King Von’s death and made that desire known to members of his Only The Family hip-hop collective, or OTF, in text messages.
They painted the multi-platinum rapper as a hardened Chicago gang leader who “had his shooters on speed dial” when he allegedly decided “it was time to kill” Quando Rondo while the Georgia rapper was “vulnerable” during a visit to Los Angeles. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century Jurors saw video evidence showing three gunmen, one armed with a Glock allegedly modified to operate as a machine gun, opening fire on Quando Rondo’s Escalade at a gas station across from the Beverly Center shopping mall on Aug. 19, 2022. Quando Rondo, whose legal name is Tyquian Bowman, survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed.
The government’s case relied heavily on three cooperating witnesses who reached plea deals, including two of the shooters. Kasey “OTF Jam” Hester and Keith Jones told jurors they opened fire on Bowman’s vehicle expecting to be paid by Banks. They pleaded guilty to charges including murder and murder for hire, the jurors heard.
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