Lil Durk has scored a major legal victory, but he is not going home just yet.
A federal jury found the Grammy-winning rapper not guilty of all charges in his murder-for-hire trial in Los Angeles on Friday, September 11, after three days of deliberations.
Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, faced charges over a 2022 shooting that prosecutors said targeted rapper Quando Rondo.
Rondo survived the attack near the Beverly Center, but his cousin, 24-year-old Saviay’a Robinson, died in the gunfire.
Prosecutors argued that Durk helped arrange the attack as revenge for the 2020 killing of his close friend and fellow rapper King Von.
Durk’s lawyers challenged that theory and questioned the credibility of witnesses who testified against him.
The jury ultimately rejected the prosecution’s case.
Durk reportedly wiped away tears as jurors delivered the first “not guilty” verdict. His supporters, including Ye and Machine Gun Kelly, watched from the courtroom.
Prosecutors expressed disappointment with the outcome.
While we are disappointed with the jury’s decision regarding Durk Banks, a.k.a. ‘Lil Durk,’ we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial.
Durk still faces a separate federal racketeering case, which the court separated from the murder-for-hire proceedings.
For now, the rapper has cleared the murder-for-hire charges, but another federal case continues to keep him behind bars.