Grammy-winning US rapper Lil Durk acquitted in murder-for-hire trial

Lil Durk holding the Grammy Award he won for best melodic rap performance in 2024 Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk was acquitted on Friday of all charges in a federal murder-for-hire case accusing him of orchestrating the revenge killing of a man shot dead in a daytime ambush in Los Angeles four years ago. The Chicago rapper was arrested in 2024 and accused of involvement in a shooting that killed the cousin of rival rapper Quando Rondo. Defence lawyer Drew Findling said the recording artist, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, was "thankful" following the verdict. Lil Durk has had seven albums in the US Billboard chart's top five since 2019 and has also collaborated with stars including Drake and J Cole on hit singles. Supporters cheered outside a Los Angeles courthouse after the verdict, which came following three days of jury deliberations.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open BBC World

Scoop News DeskUs, Indiana · Published Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 8:04 AM UTCUpdated Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 9:18 AM UTC

Scoop News reporting summary

The text below was supplied by the Scoop Newsroom app. Third-party reporting is attributed in the source panel.

Although Banks was found not guilty of the charges in the case, he remains in custody and faces a separate trial on 5 October, where he will face racketeering murder and firearms charges. "While we are disappointed with the jury's decision regarding Durk Banks, a.k.a. 'Lil Durk,' we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial", First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. Lil Durk is taking a break after stage explosion US rapper Lil Durk in shootout with intruders Watch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC Reform receives second £36m donation in two days as crypto investor matches record Burnham and Badenoch revive red versus blue politics as Reform land 'gobsmacking' donations A united Ireland would be 'fantastic' says Trump during Irish visit We've followed their lives for six decades - now the stars of 7 Up are bowing out Five minutes to steal a Renoir: Why museum thefts are becoming bolder across Europe I never got to experience my baby's scan, but blind parents like me can now feel them When an avalanche killed climber Nirmal Purja, his friends faced the hardest mission of all The three walking dads vow to save suicide helpline Why museum's last mummy has been taken off display Flower farms flourish as buyers favour homegrown Battle to save the tiny, gooey snail only found in one lake in the UK US Politics Unspun: Cut through the noise with Anthony Zurcher's newsletter How a woman's sudden death triggered a six-month manhunt Abercrombie & Fitch's former CEO Mike Jeffries to stand trial Dvorak’s epic masterpiece at the Proms Greg Jenner and guests examine the tumultuous events of 1066 Three arrests at rival protests in Portsmouth Anthropic boss Dario Amodei calls for AI development to slow down Teen boy rescued after days adrift… The 33-year-old faced five felony counts, including murder for hire resulting in death and conspiracy.

Breaking news moves fast. Follow @Will466513 on X for breaking news alerts. Follow on X →

Story timeline