Lil Durk has been acquitted in his federal murder-for-hire trial in Los Angeles.
The 33-year-old rapper, whose real name is Durk Banks, was found not guilty on all charges on Friday (September 11), according to Entertainment Weekly.
However, the verdict does not mean he is heading home. Durk remains in custody while awaiting a separate racketeering trial.
Jurors reached their decision after approximately two weeks of testimony and three days of deliberations. A conviction could have carried a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The prosecution concerned a shooting at a Los Angeles gas station on August 19, 2022. Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, the cousin of rapper Quando Rondo, was killed in the attack. Prosecutors alleged that Quando was the intended target.
Federal prosecutors accused Durk of arranging the attack in retaliation for the 2020 killing of his friend King Von. In their 2024 announcement of the indictment, authorities alleged that money associated with Durk and his Only the Family collective helped finance the operation. Those allegations included arranging travel from Chicago to California and using a credit card in his name to pay for a hotel room.
The defense disputed the prosecution’s account, questioning whether cooperating witnesses were telling the truth about Durk’s involvement. His attorneys argued that Kavon Grant, also known as OTF Vonnie, organized the shooting and that witnesses had reasons to blame Durk as they sought to avoid life sentences, per Pitchfork.
The proceedings also included some of Durk’s song lyrics, which the judge permitted as evidence concerning his state of mind after King Von’s death.
Back in 2022, Lil Durk was hit in the face with explosives at Lollapalooza.
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