Lil Durk acquitted in murder-for-hire trial but stays in custody
Lil Durk was found not guilty on Friday, Sept. 11 of plotting a killing aimed at rapper Quando Rondo. He did not go home.
A Los Angeles jury deliberated for three days before clearing the Chicago rapper of five counts of murder-for-hire, stalking and conspiracy, charges that could have carried life in prison, according to Billboard. A federal jury returned the verdict in Los Angeles, Reuters reported.
Prosecutors had accused Lil Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, of putting a bounty on Rondo over a shooting near the Beverly Center Mall in 2022. Rondo survived. His cousin was killed. The allegation was laid out in a superseding indictment, the formal document that replaces and updates earlier charges, filed by federal prosecutors, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Lil Durk was arrested in 2024 while trying to board a flight to Dubai, Billboard reported. He has been in custody since then.
His two alleged co-conspirators, David “Browneyez” Lindsey and Deandre “OTF Dede” Wilson, were convicted of stalking and conspiracy. The same jury acquitted them of murder-for-hire.
Lil Durk marked the verdict on Instagram with a photograph of his legal team. “Against all odds, we’re stronger together,” he wrote. “I feel all the love and positive energy.”
The trial drew high-profile support. Ye and mgk appeared in court during proceedings, according to Billboard. After the verdict, Swizz Beatz and Moneybagg Yo both commented “alhamudlilah” on his post.
Rapper 6ix9ine responded very differently. He posted a fireworks-filled video taunting Lil Durk on the day of the acquittal. He then commented on Lil Durk’s post: “How come you still locked up right now I don’t get it if you won? Someone explain #freedom.”
The answer is a second case. Lil Durk remains in custody because he still faces a racketeering charge, a law that targets organised criminal activity, accusing him of running his OTF label as a violent gang linked to the 2022 shooting death of Stephon Mack. That trial is slated to begin on Oct. 5.
For listeners, the result changes little for now. The acquittal closes one federal case, but the October date will decide when, or if, he can return to releasing music and touring.
