Lil Durk Acquitted of Federal Murder-for-Hire Charges in 2022 Los Angeles Shooting

Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk has been found not guilty on all federal charges stemming from a 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles that left the cousin of rapper Quando Rondo dead.

A federal jury acquitted Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, after several days of deliberations following a trial that focused on allegations that he helped organize and finance an attempt to kill Rondo. Prosecutors argued that Durk used his money, influence and members of his Only The Family collective to carry out a revenge plot following the 2020 killing of his close friend and fellow rapper King Von.

According to prosecutors, shooters tracked Rondo before opening fire on a vehicle near a Los Angeles gas station on Aug. 19, 2022. The intended target survived, but his cousin, 24-year-old Saviay’a Robinson, was fatally shot.

Durk’s defense attorneys disputed the government’s case and challenged the credibility of cooperating witnesses, including his former personal assistant Kavon Grant and two alleged participants in the shooting. The defense argued that the witnesses had incentives to implicate Durk because they were seeking reduced sentences in their own cases.

Prosecutors maintained that Durk was the driving force behind the alleged plot. During closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Yanniello told jurors that the case could not be explained without Durk’s alleged leadership and involvement. Prosecutors also pointed to travel arrangements and financial records as evidence supporting their allegations.

The defense countered that Durk was not in Los Angeles when the shooting occurred and argued there was no direct evidence that he paid for a murder or ordered the shooting.

Durk was acquitted of charges including conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking involving a dangerous weapon, stalking resulting in death and federal murder-for-hire offenses resulting in death.

The case attracted significant attention outside the courtroom, with fans gathering in support of the rapper and celebrities including Ye and Machine Gun Kelly attending proceedings. Supporters also gathered outside the courthouse wearing “Free Durk” shirts as the high-profile trial unfolded.

The verdict brings an end to the federal case against Durk, who faced the possibility of life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges.