Rapper Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, has been found not guilty on all charges in his federal murder-for-hire case. The 33-year-old broke down after the verdict came out on Friday, September 11.
Lil Durke ‘in tears’ as verdict is read
Nancy Dillon, senior reporter at Rolling Stone, described the courtroom scene on X: “Lil Durk was acquitted on all charges. He started crying as he heard the second 'not guilty.' His wife India Royale, wrapped her arms around his mother in the second row. His mom was crying too.”
Stand-up comedian and independent journalist Cousin Tino also posted on X: "Durk Was Wiping Tears Away As His Lawyers Hugged Him When The Verdict Came Out."
{{/usCountry}}Stand-up comedian and independent journalist Cousin Tino also posted on X: "Durk Was Wiping Tears Away As His Lawyers Hugged Him When The Verdict Came Out."
{{/usCountry}}Deep Dive
What charges was Lil Durk found not guilty of in his murder-for-hire trial?
Why is Lil Durk facing a separate federal racketeering case after being acquitted?
How did Lil Durk and his defense team argue against the murder-for-hire charges?
Lil Durk found not guilty on all charges
After a trial that ran for weeks, the rapper was cleared of every charge connected to a 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. His two co-defendants were also found not guilty. The charges against him included conspiracy, using interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and using and discharging firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death, as per USA Today.
Lil Durk's defense called it a ‘Tsunami of reasonable doubt’
Banks' defense attorneys, Drew Findling and Brian Steel, argued their client was innocent throughout the trial, pointing out he wasn't in Los Angeles at the time of the shooting and that there was no evidence he ever paid anyone.
During closing arguments on Tuesday, September 8, Findling said: "This case is flooded. It is a tsunami of reasonable doubt," calling it “the bounty case with no money, the stalking case with no stalking.”
The defense instead pointed to Banks' former assistant, Kavon Grant, who they said had been fired months before the shooting. Findling said: “[Grant] has manipulated every single person. Would you fire someone you assigned to lead a killing? That is preposterous.”
Prosecutors pushed back on the defense's arguments. Assistant US Attorney Ian Yanniello said: “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,” as per USA Today.
What was Durk accused of
Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, is accused of planning a 2022 murder-for-hire attack that killed a rival's cousin near the Beverly Center, according to The Independent.
Prosecutors say Banks sent a group from Chicago to Los Angeles to kill rapper Tyquian Bowman, also known as Quando Rondo. They say the attack was revenge for the 2020 killing of Banks' friend, rapper Dayvon "King Von" Bennett.
The attack took place on August 19, 2022. A gunman fired at least 18 rounds at a vehicle, killing Bowman's cousin, Saviay'a Robinson. Bowman was not injured.
Banks was arrested in 2024 and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors later accused him of ordering the attack, while his lawyers argued that he was not in Los Angeles.