Lil Durk was acquitted of murder-for-hire, yet remains in custody on racketeering charges and faces a second trial & a wrongful death lawsuit

Lil Durk/Instagram@lildurk

Lil Durk was acquitted of murder for hire this week in Los Angeles. Yet, he remains in custody for racketeering, murder, and firearm charges that are reportedly connected to a Chicago death and an attempted murder in Atlanta, surrounding his organization 'OTF' (Only The Family).  

Authorities arrested the Chicago rapper in 2024 on multiple charges. His acquittal stems from a 2022 shooting, in which the Chicago rapper, whose legal name is Durk Devontay Banks, was arrested for allegedly conspiring with five other associates (Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey, and Asa Houston) to stalk and murder a rival rapper, Quando Rondo, in Los Angeles in August 2022 for the death of his friend and fellow rapper Dayvon "King Von" Bennett in 2020. King Von was shot and killed at an Atlanta Hookah lounge following a fight with Quando Rondo.

While Quando, legally known as Tyquian Bowman, survived the assassination attempt, his cousin, Lul Pab, legally known as Saviay’a Robinson, who was with him, was shot and killed during the shooting.

Lul Pab

The prosecution argued that Banks' motivation for orchestrating the shooting stemmed from him seeking revenge for the shooting death of his former friend and fellow rapper and OTF group member, King Von.

Yet, Durk's attorneys refuted the claims, alleging that the Grammy Award winner's former personal assistant, Kavon "OTF Vonnie" Grant, was responsible for setting up the ambush that killed Robinson and wounded Quando Rondo. Kavon was also friends with the late King Von and performed some managerial duties for him.

Kavon Grant

According to Rolling Stone, Kavon took a plea deal and pleaded guilty. During the trial, he described himself as a “broker [of] high-end stolen vehicles,” and said he was the one who obtained the guns and stolen Infiniti used in the Los Angeles attack.

Other men, Kasey “OTF Jam” Hester and Keith Jones, also cooperated with the authorities and told jurors they opened fire on Bowman’s vehicle after Banks previously assured them that they would be financially compensated.

According to Hester's testimony, another OTF associate, Anthony Jones, contacted him while he was with Banks on August 18, 2022, asking him to go to the airport to travel to Los Angeles. Hester had recently been released from prison for attempted murder.

Durk's attorney Drew Findling said Grant is a “fraudster,” “master of deception,” and that he planned the shooting without Banks’ assistance and tried to convince the authorities that Banks spearheaded the event. Findling stated, “He has manipulated every single person.” During the trial, Findling emphasized that Banks fired Grant after Robinson’s murder. He exclaimed, “Would you fire someone you assigned to lead a killing? That is preposterous!”

He gave the following statement regarding the verdict: “Twenty-two months ago, Durk and I made an agreement that we would make history with the greatest verdict in this country, and it happened today. Durk is not guilty of all charges," Findling said, later adding, "The shackles must come off, and he must walk free so that he can come home to his beautiful family and to the world that loves him."

Durk’s attorneys were able to break down the prosecution’s theories, raising major reasonable

doubt to win the case. However, Durk is not a free man yet.

According to LA Mag, he faces additional charges. ABC 7 reported that Durk will remain in custody to face several federal counts of racketeering, murder, and firearms charges next month. He also faces a life sentence on those charges if convicted on all counts.

Rolling Stone reports that two months before trial, prosecutors filed their third superseding indictment alleging murder in aid of racketeering activity and firearms possession in furtherance of murder in aid of racketeering. It is alleged that Banks ran a criminal enterprise responsible for a 2022 killing in Chicago and an alleged February 2019 attempted murder in Atlanta. 

Lil Pap's family weighed in on the verdict, saying that they respected the court's decision. However, Durk faces a wrongful death lawsuit in Cook County, Illinois, filed by Lul Pab's family.

Durk's father, Dontay Banks Sr., gave a statement about the trial, stating, “We feel for the family who lost a son. I’ve lost a son, so I know what she’s going through. It’s very hard,” he said. “We do sympathize with her. That’s the thing we all want the world to know.”

This story will be updated.

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