LOS ANGELES — Rapper Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, has been found not guilty on all federal charges in a high-profile murder-for-hire case that accused him of orchestrating a 2022 attack targeting fellow rapper Quando Rondo. A federal jury delivered the verdict after a closely watched trial in Los Angeles.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Banks arranged and financed an attempted revenge killing of Rondo following the 2020 death of Banks’ close friend and fellow Chicago rapper King Von. The 2022 attack took place near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, but the intended target survived. Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, was fatally shot during the incident.
Prosecutors argued that members of Banks’ Only the Family (OTF) circle traveled to California as part of the alleged plot. Several cooperating witnesses testified during the trial, while the defense challenged their credibility and argued that Banks was not responsible for ordering the attack. Defense attorneys instead pointed to a former assistant as someone who could have acted independently.
The jury ultimately rejected the prosecution’s case against Lil Durk, clearing the 33-year-old rapper of the federal charges connected to the murder-for-hire scheme. His acquittal sparked celebrations among supporters outside the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
Despite the major legal victory, Lil Durk’s legal situation is not completely over. He remains in federal custody and is scheduled to face a separate trial beginning October 5 involving racketeering, murder-related and firearms allegations. Prosecutors have indicated that they intend to continue pursuing those separate charges.
The verdict marks a significant moment in the rapper’s legal battle and ends one of the most closely followed federal cases involving a major hip-hop artist in recent years.
For Lil Durk, the not-guilty verdict provides a major courtroom victory, but his next legal challenge remains ahead as he prepares for the separate federal case in October.
