On Friday, a U.S. federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted 33-year-old Grammy-winning Chicago rapper Lil Durk—legally known as Durk Banks—of murder-for-hire, conspiracy, and stalking resulting in death following a high-profile two-week federal trial.
The Bottom Line
- The Verdict: Lil Durk was found not guilty of murder-for-hire, conspiracy, and stalking resulting in death after a three-day jury deliberation in Los Angeles.
- The Co-Defendants: Co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of stalking charges resulting in death, though both were also acquitted of the murder-for-hire count.
- Next Legal Hurdles: While cleared of the murder-for-hire charges, Durk remains in custody pending a forthcoming trial on a severed racketeering count.
Inside the Los Angeles Federal Courtroom
The federal courtroom in downtown Los Angeles drew attention throughout the two-week proceedings. High-profile supporters, including music stars Machine Gun Kelly and Ye (formerly Kanye West), appeared in the audience to show solidarity with the Chicago artist. Outside the courthouse, large crowds of fans, livestreamers, and content creators gathered, turning the trial into a media event.
According to Associated Press reporting, the case centered on an August 2022 shooting at a Los Angeles gas station near the Beverly Center shopping mall. Government attorneys claimed that Durk funded an assassination plot against rival artist Quando Rondo to avenge the 2020 killing of rapper King Von—who was both a close associate of Durk and part of his Only The Family hip-hop collective—at an Atlanta club. During the 2022 incident, three gunmen fired on Rondo’s Escalade. While Rondo survived, his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson (known as Lul Pab), was killed.
The Jury’s Split Verdict on Co-Defendants
After three days of deliberation, the federal jury returned a verdict. While Lil Durk walked away not guilty on the murder-for-hire and related stalking charges, his co-defendants faced a different outcome. Found guilty of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking with a dangerous weapon, and stalking causing death, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey nevertheless shared in the acquittal on the murder-for-hire charge.
“We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Craig Harbaugh, an attorney for Deandre Wilson, stated via email, adding confidence that remaining counts would not survive pending motions for acquittal. Tillet Mills, representing Lindsey, issued a similar statement emphasizing that the trial proved the incident “was never a murder for hire” and that “the fight is not over.” Meanwhile, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli expressed disappointment regarding the jury’s decision on Durk Banks, while maintaining that prosecutors “look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial.”
The Road Ahead and Pending Racketeering Charges
Despite securing a victory on the federal murder-for-hire charges, Durk’s legal battles are not finished. The Grammy winner—who earned a Best Melodic Rap Performance trophy earlier that year for his J. Cole collaboration “All My Life”—remains in federal custody. He has been jailed since his 2024 arrest and now faces an upcoming trial addressing a separate racketeering count that prosecutors severed from the primary murder-for-hire indictment.
| Defendant | Primary Charges | Verdict / Status |
|---|---|---|
| Durk Banks (Lil Durk) | Murder-for-hire, Conspiracy, Stalking Resulting in Death | Not Guilty (Awaiting Racketeering Trial) |
| Deandre Wilson | Murder-for-hire, Conspiracy, Stalking Resulting in Death | Guilty on Stalking Counts; Not Guilty of Murder-for-Hire |
| David Lindsey | Murder-for-hire, Conspiracy, Stalking Resulting in Death | Guilty on Stalking Counts; Not Guilty of Murder-for-Hire |
As the legal landscape shifts toward his next court appearance, the hip-hop community continues to watch closely. Drop a comment below with your thoughts on how this verdict impacts the broader hip-hop landscape.
