Grammy Award winner Lil Durk acquitted in murder-for-hire plot that targeted fellow rapper

Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Durk has found out his fate after being accused of masterminding a murder-for-hire plot.

A jury found the musician - real name Durk Devontay Banks - not guilty and he was acquitted on Friday (September 11) on charges of conspiracy, murder for hire and stalking resulting in death.

The trial took place in Los Angeles and saw many supporters of Durk attend, including fellow musicians Machine Gun Kelly and Kanye West.

The 33-year-old, from Chicago, was slapped with a slew of federal charges following what prosecutors said was a botched revenge shooting of rapper Quando Rondo in 2022, that instead left his relative dead.

Durk pleaded not guilty to charges including one count of conspiracy, one count of use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and one count of using, carrying, and discharging firearms and a machine gun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.

Lil Durk has been behind bars since his arrest in October 2024 (Prince Williams/FilmMagic)

He was arrested in October 2024 and has been behind bars ever since, before the complex case finally went to trial in August this year.

Authorities said the 'All My Life' rapper put a bounty on the head of Rondo, real name Tyquian Bowman, following the fatal shooting of his childhood friend and fellow rapper King Von in 2020.

He was accused of conspiring with his associates from his Only the Family rap label to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles, stalk Rondo and then carry out the killing on the promise of a financial reward.

The court heard how Durk allegedly supplied money, cars and transport for those in his circle so that they could carry out the ambush of Rondo in LA.

Stars including Kanye West and Machine Gun Kelly are among the high-profile people who have showed their support for Durk amid the court case.

Prosecutors claimed Durk was 'consumed with revenge'

Dayvon Bennett, who was known on the music scene as King Von, was shot and killed in November 2020 after an altercation outside of a Atlanta hookah lounge turned deadly.

Prosecutors said that Durk subsequently orchestrated a plan to avenge Von's death, with Daniel Weiner telling the court he was 'consumed with revenge'.

"This is a case about revenge, stalking and premeditated murder," Weiner told jurors. "It was defendant Banks’ beef, it was defendant Banks’ money, it was defendant Banks’ hit men."

Weiner said that the rapper 'used his wealth and used his pursestrings to put pressure' on his associates to carry out the killing and stalk Rondo.

These associates - including Kavon Grant (OTF Vonnie), Kacey Hester (OTF Jam) and Keith Jones - have testified against Durk and insisted that he financed and organised the attempted assassination of Rondo.

Prosecutors said he orchestrated the murder-for-hire plot to seek revenge against Quando Rondo (Sheriff's Office)

Although Rondo managed to dodge death, his cousin Saviay'a Robinson, 24, was fatally shot during the 2022 incident.

Assistant US attorney Ian Yanniello previously told jurors: "It was surveillance, it was stalking, and it was premeditated murder. He had his shooters on speed dial. They didn’t stop until they rained gunfire on the victims."

Durk's hotshot lawyer Brian Steel - who has represented celebrities including Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Young Thug - rubbished the prosecutions case and said it hinged on the testimony of 'snitches, cooperators, rats'.

He alleged that investigators 'targeted Durk', saying during his closing statement: "They put a target on a human being. A celebrity human being. That’s why we’re here."

Some of Durk's lyrics referencing violence and guns from his hit tracks were referenced in the courtroom, despite his legal team insisting they were merely 'art', a 'performance' and 'an expression of his life and pain'.

The Grammy-winner had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Steel said the government's case was 'replete with reasonable doubt' before the jury began deliberating.

Grant, Hester and Jones admitted their roles in the shooting targeting Rondo as well as pleading guilty to murder-for-hire charges.

Yanniello said during closing arguments of Durk's involvement: "No one is saying he was the one on the ground with a gun in his hand in Los Angeles, but you know this story doesn’t happen without him, and it doesn’t make sense without his leadership. Defendant Banks used his money, his power, and his influence to try to kill his biggest opp, Quando Rondo."

The 12 men and women sitting on the jury began deliberating on Wednesday (9 September).