Key Takeaways
- Lil Durk was found not guilty on all five counts in his 2024 murder-for-hire case.
- Co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted on stalking-related counts.
- The verdict does not resolve Durk’s separate pending RICO case, which will begin its trial on Oct. 5.
Lil Durk has been cleared of every charge in his murder-for-hire trial. On Friday (Sept. 11), after three days of deliberation, a Los Angeles jury found the “All My Life” rapper not guilty on all five counts.
He was facing conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking. He was also charged with interstate stalking involving a dangerous weapon and interstate stalking resulting in death.
Rolling Stone’s Nancy Dillon reported that Durk “started crying as he heard the second ‘not guilty.’” She added, “His wife, India Royale, wrapped her arms around his mother in the second row. His mom was crying too.”
“First, I want to express my happiness for a client I love, Durk Banks,” defense lawyer Drew Findling said outside the courthouse. “22 months ago, Durk and I made an agreement. That we would make history with the greatest verdict in this country, and it happened today.”
While the Chicago native walked away with a massive victory in court, his co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsay weren’t as lucky. Both were found guilty on the stalking and stalking conspiracy charges.
What led to Lil Durk’s 2024 arrest in the murder-for-hire case
As many may remember, Durk was arrested in October 2024 for his alleged role in a 2022 murder-for-hire plot targeting Quando Rondo as “revenge” for King Von’s fatal shooting two years earlier. Prosecutors alleged that the Grammy-winning musician directed members of OTF to carry out the hit, ultimately leading to the death of Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, who was in a vehicle with the Georgia rapper at the time.
In the years that followed, Durk’s trial was delayed several times due to the case being “so unusual and so complex,” along with the sheer number of defendants involved. During that time, U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald also denied the Deep Thoughts artist bond on multiple occasions, noting that the possibility of life without parole “could make flight the rational choice for any innocent defendant."
What happens next for Lil Durk after the verdict
Despite the verdict ultimately coming down in his favor, Durk will remain in custody, at least for the time being. He still has another racketeering trial ahead of him and, as they have before, prosecutors will likely argue that he’s dangerous to the community, capable of intimidating witnesses, a flight risk, or all of the above (the FBI previously claimed that he booked two flights out of South Florida and a private jet while attempting to “flee” the country).
“I went back into the courtroom and heard the judge's final comments to the jury, then saw [...] Judge Fitzgerald officially declare Durk acquitted,” legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff wrote on X. “He is not being released from jail because he has another trial for a RICO [charge].” The second trial is slated to take place on Oct. 5.