Closing Arguments Set in Federal Murder-for-Hire Trial of Rapper Lil Durk

Closing arguments are expected today in the federal trial of Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk, who is accused of orchestrating a targeted 2022 murder-for-hire that left a rival’s cousin dead in broad daylight near the Beverly Center.

Prosecutors contend that the 33-year-old rapper, whose real name is Durk Banks, bankrolled and ordered a hit team to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles to kill rival Atlanta rapper Tyquian Bowman, known professionally as Quando Rondo. The alleged hit was revenge for the 2020 killing of Banks’ close friend and fellow rapper Dayvon "King Von" Bennett.

The ambush went awry on Aug. 19, 2022, when a gunman fired at least 18 rounds into a vehicle at a gas station, killing Bowman’s 24-year-old cousin, Saviay'a Robinson, while Bowman escaped unharmed.

"This case is not about music — it's about murder," Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Weiner told jurors during opening statements, alleging that Banks put out a bounty on Bowman and became "consumed with revenge."

Defense attorneys maintain Banks had no involvement in the plot or its funding. They blamed Banks' former personal assistant, Kavon Grant, arguing Grant organized the flight, rental cars, and weapons on his own credit cards to impress his boss. Grant later flipped and testified against Banks, along with two other associates, after reaching plea deals with the government.

Banks and two co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, stalking with a dangerous weapon, stalking resulting in death, and murder-for-hire charges. The Chicago-born rapper, who won a Grammy in 2024 for his hit single "All My Life," faces a potential life sentence in federal prison if convicted. He was arrested in October 2024 near Miami International Airport while allegedly attempting to flee the country.