Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk is set to face trial in Los Angeles over federal murder-for-hire charges.
Nearly two years after his arrest on federal murder-for-hire charges, Grammy-winning rapper will face the court as he is is accused of orchestrating a hit on Atlanta rapper Tyquian Bowman, known as Quando Rondo.
Prosecutors claimed Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, and a crew traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles as part of an alleged plan to target Bowman near the Beverly Center.
The Chicago rapper is accused of targeting Bowman after his associate allegedly killed Banks’ close friend, Dayvon “King Von” Bennett, at an Atlanta nightclub two years earlier.
According to prosecutors, the failed attack at a gas station near the shopping center killed Bowman’s cousin, who was traveling with him.
Banks, 33, has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder in aid of racketeering, stalking resulting in death, and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death.
The rapper could face mandatory life in federal prison if found guilty on all counts, according to prosecutors.
The FBI said Banks was arrested near Miami International Airport on October 17, 2024, as he allegedly tried to flee the US.
In a 32-page superseding indictment filed in July, Banks is named as the lead defendant alongside three alleged members and associates of his rap collective, Only the Family, or OTF.
The following day, five of Banks’ associates allegedly flew from Chicago to Los Angeles with the intention of killing Bowman, according to prosecutors.
Court papers allege OTF members used two vehicles to track Bowman to a Beverly Boulevard gas station, where at least 18 shots were fired, killing his cousin, Lul Pab. Bowman was present during the 2022 shooting.
Most defense efforts to suppress evidence have been rejected, including a 2025 bid to dismiss the case over alleged false grand-jury evidence.
Prosecutors are expected to present Durk’s music, YouTube interviews, phone photos and other evidence at trial.
The prosecution is expected to take between 11 and 13 days to make its case, prosecutors said.
