Lil Durk looked to have the odds stacked against him, but a jury has found the Chicago rapper not guilty on all charges related to his murder-for-hire case. The verdict was handed in Friday (September 11) inside a Los Angeles courthouse and the reactions are still developing.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times and several other outlets, Lil Durk, real name Durk Banks, was facing murder-for-hire, conspiracy and stalking charges as prosecutors brought witnesses to the stand along with mounds of evidence in front of a federal jury at the First Street Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles.
According to the report from the Times, Lil Durk, flanked by his legal team which included Young Thug’s former attorney Brian Steel, was said to look nervous as the case drew near its close. The report adds that when the verdict was handed in, Durk, dressed in a tan suit, quietly wiped away tears as his family and supporters erupted in cheer.
The case centered on Durk’s rivalry with rival rapper Tyquian “Quando Rondo” Bowman, who was alleged to be a target in a scheme to get revenge for the shooting death of Dayvon “King Von” Bennett. Two men, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, reporteldy carried out the crime, failing to take down Rondo and instead killing the Georgia rapper’s cousin, Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson in 2022 in Los Angeles.
Wilson and Lindsey were convicted on charges of charges of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death. However, the pair were acquitted on the murder-for-hire charges.
As seen in a TMZ report, the case was deliberated for three days following explosive testimony from Kacey “OTF Jam” Hester, who claimed Durk was the mastermind in the plot to exact revenge against Quando Rondo in a planned hit in Los Angeles.
The high profile case attracted the attention of the likes of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who took to X to celebrate Durk’s legal outcome. Machine Gun Kelly was also a vocal and present supporter of Durk in the matter, helping whip the case into a frenzied affair with fans outside the courthouse calling for the Chicago’s star’s freedom.
Independent court journalist Meghann Cuniff has been covering the case, and is sharing live video from the grounds of the courthouse.
Cuniff shared on X that Durk will remain in custody has he has an upcoming trial on October 5 to face racketeering charges.
Hit the flip for some reactions from all sides that we’ve seen to Lil Durk’s not guilty verdict.
