A federal jury on Friday found rapper Lil Durk not guilty of the attempted killing for hire of rival rapper Quando Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station, a shooting that resulted in the death of the latter's cousin. The jury deliberated for three days before acquitting the 33-year-old Grammy-winning Chicago hip-hop artist (legal name: Durk Banks) best known for the 2023 hit "All My Life," of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death, and murder for hire, per the AP. Durk supporters, including music stars Machine Gun Kelly and Ye—the artist formerly known as Kanye West—appeared in the audience during the two-week trial in downtown Los Angeles. Big groups of fans, livestreamers, and other content creators gathered outside the courthouse.
Durk's co-defendants, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon, and stalking resulting in death. But both were also acquitted of murder for hire. "We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire," Wilson's attorney said in an email. "We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal." Attorneys for Durk and Lindsey didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment. Durk remained in custody, pending a forthcoming trial on a racketeering count that was severed from this trial. He has been jailed since his 2024 arrest.
Prosecutors had alleged that Durk paid to have Rondo (real name: Tyquian Bowman) killed after someone from Bowman's entourage fatally shot rapper King Von, a close friend of Durk's and a member of his Only the Family hip-hop collective, at an Atlanta nightclub in 2020. The prosecution alleged that in August 2022, a group of men flew to Los Angeles with funds provided by Durk and followed Bowman and his crew around, and that three gunmen fired on Bowman's Escalade near the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles. Bowman survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay'a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed.
"Today, the jury delivered justice to the family of Saviay'a Robinson, finding defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey guilty of stalking resulting in Mr. Robinson's death," First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. "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." Durk won a Grammy for best melodic rap performance for "All My Life," which features J. Cole. He has been nominated for three other Grammys and was a featured performer on Drake's "Laugh Now Cry Later."
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