How Lil Durk Beat a Murder-for-Hire Case That Sent His Own Crew to Prison
Lil Durk, the Grammy-winning Chicago rapper whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, has been acquitted on all five federal counts in the high-profile murder-for-hire trial that accused him of orchestrating a plot to kill a rival rapper.
A jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California reached the verdict on Friday, September 11, following three days of deliberations that began Wednesday, according to the Department of Justice.
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The 33-year-old, who rose to prominence through Chicago’s drill scene, had faced conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, interstate stalking involving a dangerous weapon, and interstate stalking resulting in death.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Banks planned, ordered and financed a hit team’s cross-country trip from Chicago to Los Angeles in August 2022, with the intended target being Tyquian Bowman, the Atlanta rapper known as Quando Rondo.
The government’s theory framed the plot as retaliation for the 2020 killing of Dayvon Bennett, simply known as King Von, a close friend of Banks and fellow member of his Only the Family record label, allegedly at the hands of an associate connected to Bowman.
The shooting instead killed Saviay’a Robinson, Bowman’s 24-year-old cousin, who was seated in a vehicle near the Beverly Center shopping mall when gunfire meant for Bowman struck the car. Bowman himself was not hit. Prosecutors told jurors that Banks had, in their words, his shooters on speed dial, and leaned heavily on testimony from members of Banks’ inner circle who had reached plea deals in exchange for cooperating with the government.
Banks’ defense team pushed back hard against that narrative, arguing throughout the trial that prosecutors were attempting to use the rapper as leverage against other witnesses rather than proving his direct involvement. Attorney Drew Findling, addressing reporters after the verdict, said he and Banks had spent nearly two years working toward the outcome, calling it a moment of vindication for his client and adding that Banks now deserved to return home to his family.
The jury’s verdict was not uniform across all defendants. Two of Banks’ co-defendants and OTF associates, Deandre Wilson, known as OTF Dede, and David Lindsey, known as Browneyez, were convicted of stalking and stalking conspiracy resulting in Robinson’s death.
However, both were acquitted of the murder-for-hire charges. Three other members of Banks’ circle had already reached plea agreements with prosecutors and testified against him during the trial. Notably, testimony also came from the wife of one of the government’s key cooperating witnesses, who disputed her husband’s account before both sides rested their case.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli issued a statement Friday evening acknowledging the mixed outcome, saying the jury had delivered justice to Robinson’s family through the convictions of Wilson and Lindsey, while expressing disappointment over the verdict on Banks. Essayli noted that prosecutors intend to press forward with a separate federal case against Banks centred on racketeering, murder and firearms charges, with that trial currently scheduled to begin October 5.
Despite Friday’s acquittal, Banks remains in federal custody in Los Angeles, where he has been held since his arrest in October 2024. That arrest came a day after five of his OTF associates were taken into custody, with authorities apprehending Banks near Miami International Airport after discovering he had booked multiple international flights, a detail prosecutors had pointed to as evidence of flight risk. He was later added to a superseding indictment and pleaded not guilty in November 2024.
Outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse, a crowd described by local outlets as a mix of fans and content creators gathered to await the verdict, reflecting the intense public interest the case has drawn from the hip-hop community and beyond.
The trial had significant implications for Banks’ career and personal life. His most recent studio album, Deep Thoughts, was delayed from its original 2024 release following his arrest and eventually launched in 2025, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200.
With one legal battle behind him, Banks now turns to a second and arguably more consequential trial next month, where prosecutors are expected to present racketeering allegations tied to his record label and associates, along with additional murder and firearms charges.
Legal analysts covering the case have noted that regardless of Friday’s outcome, the October proceedings carry the potential to keep Banks behind bars well beyond the resolution of this case.
