Jury acquits rapper Lil Durk in murder-for-hire case

A federal jury on Friday acquitted rapper Lil Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, of all charges tied to an alleged 2022 plot to kill rival rapper Quando Rondo, a case rooted in the 2020 killing of fellow Chicago artist Dayvon “King Von” Bennett.

The Los Angeles jury reached its verdict after three days of deliberations, capping a two-week trial in which prosecutors alleged Mr. Banks orchestrated the killing of Quando Rondo, whose given name is Tyquian Bowman, in retaliation for a 2020 killing in which prosecutors said an associate of Mr. Bowman’s fatally shot Mr. Banks’ close friend, Bennett, outside an Atlanta nightclub. Prosecutors said the plot went awry when gunmen mistakenly killed Mr. Bowman’s 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, in a barrage of gunfire near the Beverly Center shopping mall in August 2022.

Mr. Banks, 33, was charged in a federal grand jury indictment accusing him of bankrolling the hit team’s cross-country travel and lodging. At the time, then-U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Mr. Banks was accused of “orchestrating a cold-blooded murder that resulted in the death of a rival’s family member.”

Mr. Banks’ defense team countered that his former personal assistant, Kavon Grant, had arranged the killing without his knowledge. Mr. Grant and two other members of Mr. Banks’ inner circle later struck plea deals and testified against him at trial. Two co-defendants, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, were convicted of stalking-related charges but acquitted of the murder-for-hire counts.

Rapper Machine Gun Kelly and Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, were among the supporters who attended the trial, and crowds of fans and livestreamers gathered outside the courthouse Friday for the verdict. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement that “the jury delivered justice to the family of Saviay’a Robinson,” while noting his disappointment with the outcome for Mr. Banks.

Mr. Banks’ attorney, Drew Findling, called the verdict a historic victory, telling reporters afterward, “The shackles must come off, and he must walk free.”

Mr. Banks remains in federal custody. He faces a second trial on racketeering murder and firearms charges set to begin Oct. 5. He won a Grammy in 2024 for his hit “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole.