Lil Durk Acquitted of Murder-for-Hire Charge in Los Angeles

A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted rapper Lil Durk on Friday, September 11, of every count in a murder-for-hire indictment. The Grammy winner, whose real name is Durk Banks, 33, remains in custody as he awaits a second trial.

The jury deliberated for three days. The trial opened on August 20, with Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald presiding.

Banks was cleared of three counts: conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking resulting in death, and conspiracy to commit murder for hire. His two co-defendants, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, fared differently. They were also acquitted of murder for hire, but were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking with a dangerous weapon, and stalking resulting in death.

What happened outside the Beverly Center

The case traces back to August 19, 2022, outside the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles. Attackers opened fire on a Cadillac Escalade. Saviyah Robinson, 24, known as Lul Pab, a cousin of rapper Quando Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Bowman, was killed in the shooting. Bowman, the intended target, survived.

Prosecutors alleged that Banks planned, ordered and financed the attempt on Bowman’s life as retaliation for the killing of rapper Dayvon Bennett, known as King Von. According to the indictment, Bennett had been a close friend and collaborator of Banks within the Only the Family collective, and was shot dead in 2020 at a nightclub in Atlanta.

The defense argued the opposite from day one. In their version of events, Banks had nothing to do with the attack, and the entire plan was orchestrated by his former personal assistant, Keyvon Grant, who wanted to impress his boss.

Evidence and witnesses at trial

Over the course of the trial, prosecutors relied on flight booking records, credit card transactions for hotels and equipment, messages instructing associates not to use identifiable names, and footage from a music video that incorporated television coverage of the shooting itself. Associates from within Banks’s own circle, who had earlier reached plea deals with prosecutors, also testified against him.

The jury, however, was not convinced there was enough evidence for the murder-for-hire charge, either against Banks or his co-defendants. The racketeering count was not part of this trial at all, having been severed into a separate proceeding under a July 14 ruling.

Reactions to the verdict

“We are disappointed by the jury’s decision regarding Durk Banks, known as ‘Lil Durk,’ and we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial,” said Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, in a statement issued after the verdict.

Craig Harbaugh, the attorney representing co-defendant Deandre Wilson, sees the outcome differently.

“We thank the jury for seeing that there was no murder for hire. We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal,” Harbaugh said in a statement after the verdict.

What comes next for Lil Durk

Banks was arrested on October 25, 2024, near the Miami airport and has been held in custody ever since. The verdict changes nothing on that front. The racketeering count, along with weapons-related offenses, goes to a new trial on October 5.

Banks won a Grammy in 2024 for Best Melodic Rap Performance, for the song “All My Life,” recorded with J. Cole. He was also nominated for three other Grammys and appeared on Drake’s song “Laugh Now Cry Later.”

Outside the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, his fans gathered the moment the verdict came down. Music stars who came to support him were also among the courtroom audience throughout the two-week trial.