A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk on all charges in a murder-for-hire trial that drew celebrities, fans and content creators to a downtown courthouse. The Chicago rapper, whose legal name is Durk Banks, was found not guilty of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire after three days of deliberations.
Prosecutors had alleged that Banks dispatched hit men to target rapper Quando Rondo, born Tyquian Bowman, for revenge following the death of a close friend. According to prosecutors, the intended target was Bowman, but the hit men instead fatally shot Bowman's cousin Saviay'a Robinson, 24, in a botched ambush near the Beverly Center in the summer of 2022.
Two co-defendants, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, were tried alongside Banks. Lindsey was alleged by prosecutors to be one of the shooters. Wilson and Lindsey were convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death. However, both men were acquitted on the murder-for-hire charges, matching the verdict reached for Banks.
Banks remains in custody pending a second federal trial scheduled for next month on charges of racketeering and firearms violations.