# Lil Durk walks free in murder-for-hire trial

> A federal jury took three days to clear the Chicago rapper of every count tied to a deadly Los Angeles shooting.
- Title: Lil Durk walks free in murder-for-hire trial | Shortify
- Summary: A federal jury took three days to clear the Chicago rapper of every count tied to a deadly Los Angeles shooting. Durk beat the murder-for-hire case, but he…
- Keywords: lil durk, chicago, hip-hop, federal trial, crime, news, local, Lil, Durk, walks, free, murder-for-hire
- Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/09/11/chicago-grammy-winning-rapper-lil-durk-acquitted-by-federal-jury-in-murder-for-hire-case
- Published: 2026-09-12T03:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: lil durk, chicago, hip-hop, federal trial, crime, news, local
## Not guilty, all counts
A federal jury in Los Angeles found Chicago rapper Lil Durk not guilty in the attempted killing for hire of rival rapper Quando Rondo.
## Three days of deliberation
Jurors weighed the case for three days before clearing the 33-year-old of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire.
## Who he is
Durk Banks is a Grammy winner best known for the 2023 hit "All My Life." He has been jailed since his arrest in 2024.
## A courtroom full of stars
Machine Gun Kelly and Ye sat in the audience during the two-week downtown Los Angeles trial. Fans, livestreamers and content creators packed the sidewalk outside.
## Co-defendants convicted
Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were found guilty of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking with a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death.
## But not of murder for hire
The jury acquitted Wilson and Lindsey on that count too, the same charge that collapsed against Durk.

> We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire.
## Defense is not done
Wilson's attorney Craig Harbaugh says he expects the stalking convictions to fall as well, pointing to a pending motion for acquittal.

> We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.
## The alleged motive
Prosecutors said Durk paid to have Rondo killed after someone in Rondo's entourage fatally shot rapper King Von at an Atlanta nightclub in 2020.
## King Von's place in it
Von was a close friend of Durk's and a member of his Only The Family collective. His 2020 death sat at the center of the government's theory.
## What happened in LA
In August 2022, prosecutors said, men flew to Los Angeles on Durk's money, trailed Rondo's crew, and three gunmen fired on his Escalade near the Beverly Center.
## The cousin who died
Rondo survived. His 24-year-old cousin Saviay'a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed in the shooting.
## Prosecutors regroup
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called the stalking convictions justice for Robinson's family and signaled the government is not finished with Durk.

> While we are disappointed with the jury's decision regarding Durk Banks, we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial.
## Still behind bars
Durk remains in custody awaiting a separate racketeering trial that was split off from this one. The acquittal does not get him out.
## Key takeaway

Durk beat the murder-for-hire case, but he stays in jail for a racketeering trial that is still coming.