# Lil Durk Walks Free on Murder-for-Hire Charges

> A Los Angeles jury took three days to reject the government's case that a drill star ordered a hit on a rival.
- Title: Lil Durk Walks Free on Murder-for-Hire Charges · Billboard
- Summary: A Los Angeles jury took three days to reject the government's case that a drill star ordered a hit on a rival. Federal prosecutors built the case on…
- Keywords: lil durk, court, hip-hop, murder-for-hire, rap lyrics, Lil, Durk, Walks, Free, Charges, Billboard
- Source: Billboard — https://billboard.com/pro/lil-durk-acquitted-murder-for-hire-trial-quando-rondo
- Author: Rachel Scharf
- Published: 2026-09-12T00:23:44+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: lil durk, court, hip-hop, murder-for-hire, rap lyrics
## Not guilty on all counts
A Los Angeles federal jury acquitted Durk Banks on Friday, Sept. 11, of murder-for-hire, stalking and conspiracy. The charges carried a possible life sentence.

> Durk is not guilty of all charges.
## Three days of deliberation
Jurors weighed a two-week trial before clearing Durk. Co-defendants David Lindsey and Deandre Wilson were convicted of stalking and conspiracy but also beat the murder-for-hire count.
## He is still locked up
A racketeering charge accusing Durk of running his OTF label as a violent gang is still pending. Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald cut it from this trial and criticized prosecutors for adding it late.

> The shackles must come off, and he must walk free.
## What the feds alleged
Prosecutors said Durk sent OTF shooters from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2022 to kill Quando Rondo, payback for the 2020 murder of King Von.
## The wrong man died
Rondo was shot at a Los Angeles gas station and survived. His cousin Saviay'a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed in the crossfire.
## A case built on cooperators
Three alleged participants pled guilty and testified for the government, saying Durk offered cash rewards for the attack. No payment was ever completed.
## The defense flipped the script
Lawyers argued personal assistant Kavon Grant, who had Durk's credit cards, was the real mastermind, and that cooperators handed over a "big fish" to shave their own sentences.

> time to shine
## Rap lyrics on trial
Prosecutors played "Ahhh Ha" and "Who Want Smoke??" as evidence of the plot. The defense called it commercial art, not confession. Many states ban the tactic; federal courts still allow it.

> They droppin' locations, I'm gettin' it done
## Key takeaway

Federal prosecutors built the case on cooperators trading testimony for shorter sentences, and the jury didn't buy it.