Lil Durk acquitted in Los Angeles murder-for-hire trial

Lil Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, was acquitted Friday by a federal jury in Los Angeles after a two-week trial over a 2022 shooting that prosecutors said was intended to kill Atlanta rapper Tyquian Bowman, known as Quando Rondo. Prosecutors alleged the attack was carried out as retaliation for the 2020 killing of Banks’ close friend, Chicago rapper Dayvon “King Von” Bennett, and that members of Banks’ Only the Family, or OTF, collective helped track Bowman to a gas station near the Beverly Center. Bowman survived the August 2022 ambush, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, was fatally shot. The case centered on whether Banks directed or financed the attack and whether he was responsible for the killing that resulted from it.

Prosecutors argued that Banks used his money, influence and connections within OTF to arrange the attack and provide resources for those involved. The government relied heavily on testimony from associates who had been charged in connection with the case and later reached plea agreements, including witnesses who described Banks’ alleged involvement in the planning. Defense attorneys challenged the credibility of those witnesses, arguing they had strong incentives to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for reduced sentences. The defense also pointed to Banks’ former assistant, Kavon Grant, as someone who could have organized the attack without the rapper’s knowledge. After three days of deliberations, jurors rejected the government’s case and found Banks not guilty of the charges, including conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire. Two co-defendants were also acquitted of the murder-for-hire charges but were convicted on separate stalking-related counts.

The acquittal does not immediately end Banks’ federal legal proceedings. He has remained in custody since his 2024 arrest and is scheduled to face a separate trial beginning Oct. 5 on racketeering and weapons-related allegations connected to a broader case involving OTF and other alleged violent activity. Those allegations are separate from the charges on which he was acquitted Friday, and prosecutors are continuing to pursue them. Banks rose from Chicago’s drill-rap scene to become an internationally recognized artist and won a Grammy in 2024 for best melodic rap performance for “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole. His acquittal drew supporters, music industry figures and large crowds outside the Los Angeles federal courthouse, where the case had attracted significant public attention throughout the trial.

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, ABC News and Pitchfork.