A federal jury in downtown Los Angeles acquitted rapper Lil Durk on Friday of charges that he arranged the killing of rival rapper Quando Rondo, ending a two-week trial tied to a 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center that killed Rondo’s cousin.
The jury deliberated for three days before finding Durk, 33, not guilty of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire. The Chicago rapper, whose legal name is Durk Banks and who won a Grammy for the hit “All My Life,” remains in federal custody pending a separate racketeering trial. He has been jailed since his 2024 arrest.
Two co-defendants, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death. Both, like Durk, were acquitted of murder for hire.
“We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Wilson’s attorney, Craig Harbaugh, said in an email. “We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.”
Attorneys for Durk and Lindsey did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What prosecutors alleged
Prosecutors said Durk paid for the killing after a member of Rondo’s entourage fatally shot rapper King Von — a close friend of Durk’s and a fellow member of his Only The Family collective — at an Atlanta nightclub in 2020.
According to the government’s case, a group of men flew to Los Angeles in August 2022 using money supplied by Durk, tracked Rondo and his associates, and then opened fire on Rondo’s Escalade near the Beverly Center. Rondo 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 U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “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.”
A high-profile courtroom scene
The trial drew notable supporters to the downtown Los Angeles courthouse, including Machine Gun Kelly and Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Crowds of fans, livestreamers and other content creators gathered outside throughout the proceedings.
Durk won a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “All My Life,” which features J. Cole, and has since picked up three additional Grammy nominations. He also appeared as a featured performer on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later.”
He now awaits a second federal trial in Los Angeles on a racketeering charge that was severed from this case.
