A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk on Friday of charges tied to an alleged murder-for-hire plot against rival rapper Quando Rondo, a shooting that left Rondo’s cousin dead, the Associated Press reported.
Jurors deliberated for three days before returning not-guilty verdicts on three counts against the 33-year-old Chicago artist: conspiracy, stalking resulting in death, and murder for hire. The verdicts capped a two-week trial in downtown Los Angeles that drew an unusual collision of hip-hop celebrity and federal court.
A courtroom packed with star power
Supporters of Lil Durk — whose legal name is Durk Banks — packed the gallery throughout the proceedings. Among those who appeared in the audience were Machine Gun Kelly and Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Outside the courthouse, crowds of fans, livestreamers and other content creators gathered as the trial unfolded, according to the AP account.
The verdict delivered a split outcome for federal prosecutors, who secured convictions against two of Durk’s co-defendants on stalking-related charges but fell short on the most serious allegation — that the rapper financed a hit on a rival.
Co-defendants convicted on stalking counts, cleared of murder for hire
Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were found guilty of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon, and stalking resulting in death. Like Durk, both men were acquitted of murder for hire.
Wilson’s attorney, Craig Harbaugh, said in an email that the jury’s rejection of the murder-for-hire count validated the defense’s position. “We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Harbaugh said. “We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.”
Attorneys for Durk and Lindsey did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment, the AP reported.
Prosecutors weigh a second trial
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli acknowledged the government’s disappointment in a statement but pointed to the convictions on the stalking counts as a measure of accountability.
“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,” Essayli said. “While we are disappointed with the jury’s decision regarding Durk Banks, a.k.a. ‘Lil Durk,’ we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial.”
Despite the acquittal, Durk remained in custody Friday. He is being held pending a forthcoming trial on a racketeering count that was severed from the murder-for-hire case. He has been jailed since his 2024 arrest.
The shooting at the center of the case
Prosecutors alleged that Durk arranged to have Rondo killed in retaliation for the 2020 slaying of rapper King Von, a close friend of Durk’s and a member of his Only The Family hip-hop collective. King Von was shot and killed at an Atlanta nightclub by someone from Rondo’s entourage, according to the government’s account.
The alleged retaliation, prosecutors said, unfolded in August 2022. According to the government, a group of men flew to Los Angeles using funds provided by Durk, tracked Rondo and his crew around the city, and then three gunmen opened fire on Rondo’s Escalade near the Beverly Center shopping mall. Rondo survived the shooting. His 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed.
The jury’s verdicts mean no defendant in the case was convicted of the murder-for-hire charge that anchored the prosecution’s theory of the shooting.
A career at its commercial peak
Durk’s acquittal arrives at a moment of significant professional success. Earlier this year, he won a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “All My Life,” a track featuring J. Cole. He has received three other Grammy nominations and was a featured performer on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later.”
The legal proceedings have shadowed that run. Durk’s arrest in 2024 and the ensuing federal case kept him in custody through the trial, even as his collaborators and peers — including the high-profile figures who filled courtroom seats — publicly signaled their support.
The remaining racketeering count ensures that his legal exposure is not fully resolved. A separate trial on that charge is expected, and prosecutors indicated they intend to press forward with the evidence they have gathered.
For Wilson and Lindsey, the convictions on stalking counts carry potentially serious penalties, though their defense team has signaled it will challenge those verdicts through a motion for acquittal. The government’s case against the three men has now yielded a mixed result that both sides are likely to characterize as vindication of their core arguments — the defense on the absence of a murder-for-hire agreement, the prosecution on the fatal consequences of the surveillance and shooting that took Robinson’s life.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/09/12/grammy-winning-rapper-lil-durk-acquitted-of-murder-for-hire/