From BBC News · · 1m 30s
Lil Durk acquitted in murder-for-hire case
A jury cleared the Chicago rapper of plotting a revenge killing, but he is still in custody with another trial weeks away.
In brief
A jury cleared the Chicago rapper of plotting a revenge killing, but he is still in custody with another trial weeks away. The acquittal ends one federal case, not Lil Durk's legal fight. A racketeering murder trial starts 5 October and he stays in custody until then. Originally reported by BBC News.
Not guilty on all counts
A federal jury acquitted Lil Durk of every charge in a murder-for-hire case tied to a daytime ambush in Los Angeles four years ago. Supporters cheered outside the courthouse.
What he was facing
The 33-year-old, real name Durk Devontay Banks, faced five felony counts including murder for hire resulting in death. A conviction could have meant life in prison.
The shooting at the centre
In August 2022, gunmen fired on a car at a Los Angeles petrol station carrying rapper Quando Rondo. He was unhurt. His cousin, Saviay'a Robinson, was killed.
Prosecutors alleged a bounty
The government said Banks offered to pay anyone who killed Rondo, in revenge for the 2020 murder of OTF rapper King Von, and that social media pressure pushed him to retaliate.
“Authorities said Banks made it known that he would "pay a bounty"”
The case leaned on insiders
Three co-operating witnesses took plea deals and testified against Banks. Two co-defendants were convicted of stalking but also cleared of murder for hire.
He is still in custody
Banks stays locked up and returns to court on 5 October on racketeering murder and firearms charges. Prosecutors say they look forward to that second trial.
“we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial”
What matters most
The acquittal ends one federal case, not Lil Durk's legal fight. A racketeering murder trial starts 5 October and he stays in custody until then.
