Rapper Lil Durk acquitted on all charges in federal murder-for-hire trial

Federal jury delivers acquittal on all counts

A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted rapper Lil Durk, born Durk Banks, of all five charges in a murder-for-hire trial on Friday, September 11, 2026. The 33-year-old artist, who won a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance in 2024 and achieved two number-one albums, faced potential life imprisonment. The charges included conspiracy, stalking with a dangerous weapon, stalking resulting in death, and two murder-for-hire counts. Banks had remained in federal custody since his arrest in 2024, when authorities unsealed the indictment. Jurors deliberated for three days following a two-week trial overseen by Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald. Alleged co-conspirators David Lindsey and Deandre Wilson were convicted of conspiracy and stalking, but acquitted of murder-for-hire.

Origins of the 2022 Los Angeles ambush

Federal prosecutors alleged that Banks orchestrated an August 19, 2022 shooting at a Los Angeles gas station targeting rival artist Tyquian Bowman, known as Quando Rondo. Bowman survived the attack, but the gunfire killed his cousin, Saviay'a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab. The government argued that the shooting was retaliation for the 2020 killing of rapper Dayvon Bennett, known as King Von, who died during a fight involving Bowman in Atlanta. Charges against Bowman associate Timothy Leeks in Bennett's death were later dropped. According to the indictment, Banks financed the operation by paying for commercial airline flights, rental cars, burner cellphones, and ski masks used during the pursuit. Prosecutors argued that social media pressure urged Banks to direct associates from his Only the Family collective to travel from Chicago to California.

Cooperating witnesses and prosecution arguments

The prosecution relied heavily on testimony from three associates who signed cooperation plea agreements: Kavon Grant, Keith Jones, and Kacey Hester. Jones told the court that Banks offered a cash bounty of $1 million for the killing of Bowman, while Hester testified that he acted as one of the shooters after trailing Bowman's vehicle for hours. Hester told the jury that the bounty motivated the group, asserting that Banks placed them in that position. All three cooperating witnesses acknowledged that Banks did not attend the shooting in person and never completed any cash payments to the participants. Prosecutor Ian Yanniello argued in closing statements that Banks directed the conspiracy from afar.

No one is saying that he was on the ground with a gun in his hand in Los Angeles, but this story doesn't happen without him, and it doesn't make sense without his leadership.

Defense challenges and lyrical evidence

The defense team, led by attorneys Brian Steel, Drew Findling, Christy O'Connor, and Marissa Goldberg, argued that Banks had no connection to the planning or execution of the ambush. Defense attorneys asserted that Grant, who served as Banks's personal assistant with access to his credit cards, coordinated the operation on his own to impress the rapper. The defense challenged the credibility of the cooperating witnesses, presenting jailhouse phone recordings and arguing the men falsely blamed Banks to reduce their own sentences. Prosecutors introduced Banks's songs, including "Ahhh Ha", "Pissed Me Off", and "Who Want Smoke??", as evidence of his mindset following Bennett's death. Lindsey and Wilson will receive their sentences at a later date.