‘A Tsunami of Reasonable Doubt’: Lil Durk Cleared of All Charges in Federal Murder-for-Hire Trial

LOS ANGELES — Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Durk has been found not guilty on all counts in his high-profile federal murder-for-hire trial, ending a high-stakes courtroom drama stemming from a fatal 2022 Los Angeles shooting.

The 33-year-old artist whose legal name is Durk Banks, burst into tears in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on Friday as the jury foreman read out five consecutive "not guilty" verdicts following three days of deliberation.

Banks was acquitted of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death, and federal murder-for-hire charges tied to an alleged revenge plot against rival hip-hop artist Tyquian Bowman, professionally known as Quando Rondo.

A Fatal Retaliation Plot Rejected

Federal prosecutors had alleged that Banks used his record label and hip-hop collective, Only The Family (OTF), as a criminal conduit to place a "bounty" on Bowman. The prosecution argued the hit was ordered in retaliation for the November 2020 shooting death of Banks' close friend and protege, King Von (Dayvon Bennett), during an altercation in Atlanta.

On 19th August 2022, gunmen ambushed Bowman’s black Cadillac Escalade outside a gas station near Los Angeles’s Beverly Center. While Bowman escaped unharmed, his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a "Lul Pab" Robinson, was killed in the hail of gunfire.

However, Banks’ defense team, led by prominent criminal defense attorneys Drew Findling and Brian Steel dismantled the government’s timeline, characterising the case as "a tsunami of reasonable doubt".

The defense successfully demonstrated that Banks was not in Los Angeles at the time of the shooting, possessed no direct physical link to the crime scene, and had terminated his former assistant, Kavon Grant, months prior. Defense attorneys argued that Grant and other cooperating government witnesses fabricated claims against the rapper to secure reduced sentences for themselves.

"They targeted Durk. They put a target on a celebrity human being," Steel told the jury during closing arguments. "This was the bounty case with no money, the stalking case with no stalking."

Co-Defendants Convicted on Lesser Charges

While Banks walked away with a complete acquittal on all five counts, two co-defendants, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of stalking resulting in death, though both were similarly acquitted of the overarching murder-for-hire charges.

Supporters including Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Machine Gun Kelly were present in the courtroom galleries throughout the two-week proceedings, alongside a heavy public presence outside the federal courthouse.

Despite the major legal victory, Banks was not immediately released from federal custody. He remains detained as he prepares for a separate federal racketeering (RICO) trial scheduled to commence in Los Angeles on 5th October.

Trial Summary — US v. Durk Banks et al.

Prosecution Sets Sights on October Trial

Responding to the verdict, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli acknowledged the government’s disappointment regarding Banks' acquittal but reiterated their intention to pursue separate racketeering murder and firearms charges next month.

Attorneys representing the family of Saviay'a Robinson noted that while they respect the criminal jury’s findings, their ongoing civil wrongful death lawsuit against Banks in Cook County, Illinois, will proceed uninterrupted.