Lil Durk acquitted of murder-for-hire in Los Angeles trial

A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk on Friday of all charges in a murder-for-hire case stemming from a 2022 shooting that killed the cousin of rival rapper Quando Rondo. The verdict, reached after three days of deliberations, clears Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death, and murder-for-hire charges. However, the 33-year-old artist remains in federal custody, awaiting a separate trial on racketeering charges scheduled for October 5. Prosecutors had alleged that Durk orchestrated the attack as retaliation for the 2020 killing of his close friend and fellow rapper, King Von. They claimed Durk financed and directed a group of men to travel to Los Angeles and target Quando Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Bowman. The shooting occurred at a gas station near the Beverly Center in August 2022. Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviaya Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed. The case relied heavily on testimony from three cooperating witnesses who had reached plea agreements: Kacey Hester, Keith Jones, and Kavon Grant, Durk's former personal assistant.