Lil Durk’s long-awaited federal murder-for-hire trial is getting underway in Los Angeles, where jurors will weigh allegations that the Chicago rapper financed a deadly 2022 plot targeting Quando Rondo.
Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire trial begins Thursday, August 20, with jury selection in federal court in Los Angeles. According to XXL, opening statements could follow as soon as Friday as prosecutors prepare to present their case against Durk, whose legal name is Durk Devontay Banks, and three alleged co-conspirators.
Durk has pleaded not guilty and faces seven federal counts tied to the alleged 2022 plot. The current charges include conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, two interstate stalking counts, murder in aid of racketeering and a firearms count involving the discharge of a machine gun in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.
Federal prosecutors allege Durk arranged for associates connected to Only the Family to travel from Chicago to California to kill Quando Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 death of King Von. Authorities say the alleged target survived the August 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, but Rondo’s cousin Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab, was killed.
The government is expected to lean on financial records, travel records, text messages, surveillance material and music-related evidence as it tries to connect Durk to the alleged plot. U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald has ruled that prosecutors may use portions of Durk’s 2021 “Pissed Me Off” song and music video, while other contested lyrics and recordings have been limited or excluded.
Prosecutors also won permission to introduce a YouTube excerpt featuring 6ix9ine discussing King Von during an interview associated with DJ Akademiks, along with other recordings and communications the government says provide context for the alleged retaliation. Durk’s attorneys have repeatedly argued that rap lyrics, music videos and online commentary risk prejudicing jurors and do not prove that he ordered a killing.
The defense team now includes Brian Steel, known for representing Young Thug during the YSL racketeering case, alongside veteran attorney Drew Findling. Durk’s lawyers have challenged the government’s use of music and gang-related allegations while maintaining that the prosecution lacks reliable evidence establishing that the rapper directed the August 2022 attack.
If convicted on the most serious charges, Durk could face life in federal prison. He has remained in federal custody since his October 2024 arrest, and the trial follows multiple delays and extensive pretrial litigation over what evidence jurors will be allowed to hear as both sides prepare to argue one of hip-hop’s most closely watched criminal cases.
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