Lil Durk acquitted of murder for hire, but remains behind bars ahead of new trial

A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted Grammy winning rapper Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, on Friday September 11 of all charges in a high profile murder for hire case. After more than two weeks of trial and three days of deliberations, during which jurors spent a total of nearly eight hours discussing the evidence, the not guilty verdict was delivered at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. According to reporters who attended the hearing, the 33 year old Chicago rapper burst into tears when the verdict was read out, while his wife India Royale wrapped her arms around his sobbing mother, who was seated in the second row behind him.

The case centered on a 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, where Quando Rondo was the intended target. The bullets missed him, however, and struck his 24 year old cousin Saviay'a Robinson, who died from his injuries. Prosecutors argued that Durk had paid five men to kill Quando Rondo in retaliation for the death of rapper King Von, who was killed in November 2020 following a confrontation outside an Atlanta nightclub. A member of Rondo's entourage, Timothy Leeks, shot Von and was charged for it.

Durk was arrested on October 17, 2024 in South Florida and stood trial on five counts, including conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking Quando Rondo with a dangerous weapon, stalking Saviay'a Robinson resulting in his death, and two counts related to murder for hire using interstate communications. His attorney Marissa Goldberg argued during the trial that Durk had no involvement in the plot and that responsibility lay with his former personal assistant Kavon Grant, also known as OTF Vonnie, who pleaded guilty to murder and testified as a key witness against Durk.

Co defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, known respectively as OTF Dede and Browneyez, were tried alongside Durk. They were convicted of stalking and conspiracy to commit stalking but acquitted on the murder for hire charge. A fifth alleged accomplice, Asa Houston, is still set to face a separate trial. Throughout the proceedings, several artists and family members showed up in court to support Durk, including G Herbo, Dreezy, Doodie Lo and MGK, while fans gathered outside holding Free Durk signs and wearing Free Durk shirts.

Despite the acquittal, Lil Durk will not be walking free. He remains in pretrial detention because of a second criminal case set to begin on October 5, in which he faces charges of racketeering murder and firearms offenses. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli responded to the acquittal by saying: "While we are disappointed with the jury's decision regarding Durk Banks, AKA Lil Durk, we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial, scheduled for 5 October, when he will face racketeering murder and firearms charges." The legal saga surrounding the Grammy winning Chicago rapper is far from over.