Lil Durk's Federal Murder-for-Hire Trial Opens in Los Angeles
Opening statements began on 24 August 2026 in Lil Durk's federal murder-for-hire trial at a Los Angeles federal courthouse, where prosecutors cast the 33-year-old rapper as the architect of a deadly 2022 revenge plot and his defence argued he was framed by a co-defendant looking to shift blame.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Weiner told jurors, "This is a case about revenge." Prosecutors allege Durk Banks, the legal name of the Chicago rapper known as Lil Durk, used "coded language" to dispatch a group of men to Los Angeles to carry out an execution-style hit on 19 August 2022. The intended target, they said, was Tyquian Terrel Bowman, who performs as Quando Rondo. The motive, according to prosecutors, was payback for the 2020 shooting death of Lil Durk's close friend King Von, born Dayvon Bennett — a killing carried out by a member of Bowman's entourage.
Prosecutors claim the alleged hitmen ambushed Bowman at a gas station near the Beverly Center shopping mall, firing at least 18 rounds from multiple guns, including a machine gun. Bowman survived. His cousin, Saviay'a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was struck and killed.
Lil Durk's defence lawyer, Marissa Goldberg, offered the jury a different story. She said co-defendant Kavon Grant was initially identified by authorities as the one "in charge" of the shooting and argued that he organised the ambush for his own personal reasons. Goldberg told jurors that Grant bought the shooters black ski masks at an R.E.I. store, along with plane tickets, hotel rooms and vehicles. "Mr. Banks had nothing to do with it," she said. "He was not there. He had nothing to do with it."
Grant worked for Lil Durk at his music management company, Astronaut Soundz, and had access to a company credit card — a detail prosecutors are likely to use to tie Banks to the alleged operation's logistics. Grant has already pleaded guilty and was expected to testify against Banks. Two other alleged co-conspirators, Kacey "OTF Jam" Hester and Keith Jones, also took plea deals and have been cooperating with prosecutors.
The judge ruled that jurors could hear lyrics from several of Lil Durk's songs, including "Pissed Me Off," "Who Want Smoke??" and "Ahhh Ha" — a decision his legal team had fought to prevent. Federal prosecutors had urged the court to admit the lyrics and music videos as evidence, arguing they were relevant to the charges.
Banks was first charged in November 2024, when a federal grand jury indicted him and his co-defendants on one count of conspiracy and one count of use of interstate facilities in connection with the alleged murder-for-hire plot. He later faced an additional racketeering charge accusing him of acting as the leader of a Chicago street gang and offering a reward that led to the plot. A judge granted Banks a partial win in July 2026 by separating the racketeering charges from the Los Angeles trial.
Banks has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His defence team has said he is "fully prepared to proceed to trial." The trial continues in a Los Angeles federal courthouse.
