The Chicago rapper beat a federal murder-for-hire case in Los Angeles on September 11, but he remains in custody ahead of a separate racketeering trial.
Lil Durk has been acquitted on all five counts in his federal murder-for-hire trial. A Los Angeles jury returned the verdict on Friday, September 11, closing one of hip-hop’s most closely watched courtroom cases with no conviction against the Chicago rapper.
The ruling does not mean Durk is going home. He remains in federal custody ahead of a separate federal racketeering trial scheduled to begin October 5 in Los Angeles.
What the jury decided
Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, faced charges tied to a fatal 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center. Prosecutors argued that he sought revenge for the 2020 killing of King Von by directing members of Only the Family, or OTF, to target rival rapper Quando Rondo.
The attack instead killed Rondo’s 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab, at a gas station on August 19, 2022. Prosecutors presented GPS records, text messages, flight purchases charged to Durk’s credit card, rap lyrics and testimony from three cooperating witnesses.
The five counts included conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking with a dangerous weapon, stalking resulting in death and two murder-for-hire charges. Jurors began deliberating on September 9 and returned their verdict two days later.
Durk’s next case is already scheduled
Durk’s separate racketeering case remains active. That trial is set for October 5 at the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles.
He is expected to face racketeering murder and firearms charges in that proceeding. The case was separated from the murder-for-hire trial after prosecutors filed a third superseding indictment in June.
The outcome also differed for two co-defendants. Deandre “OTF DeDe” Wilson and David “Browneyez” Lindsey were acquitted of murder-for-hire but convicted of stalking resulting in death, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
A major moment for Durk’s defence team
The verdict has prompted a wave of celebration around Durk and his lawyers. Brian Steel and the defence team were highlighted in the immediate reaction, while defence lawyer Drew Findling described the result as a complete victory for his client.
For Durk, the acquittal is a decisive result in the murder-for-hire case. The legal pressure continues, however, with another federal trial and his custody status still shaping what comes next.
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