Lil Durk has walked away from one major legal battle, but he is not going home yet. The rapper was found not guilty in his murder-for-hire case but remains in custody as he faces another federal trial.
Lil Durk found not guilty
Rapper Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks, was taken back into custody this week even after beating his murder-for-hire case.
On Friday, September 11, the 34-year-old rapper was found not guilty on all five counts, which included conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon, stalking resulting in death and two murder-for-hire charges.
The Los Angeles jury found the Grammy-winning rapper not guilty on all federal charges linked to the 2022 shooting. The jury took three days to reach its decision. Jurors began discussing the case on Wednesday, September 9, and announced the verdict two days later.
Also read: Lil Durk verdict: Rapper ‘in tears’ after not guilty verdict as family celebrates acquittal
Why he’s still in jail
Even though Durk was found not guilty, he remains in custody. He is now set to face a separate trial on racketeering charges. His lawyers had separated this case from the murder-for-hire trial after prosecutors added new Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering charges in June, as per Complex.
According to a 32-page federal indictment, Banks is accused of leading a violent criminal gang made up of associates from his rap label, One of the Family. Prosecutors say the group has been involved in robbery, murder and drug trafficking, as per Reuters.
The new trial is scheduled to begin on October 5 at the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles.
What the case was about?
Prosecutors said Durk wanted revenge after his close friend and protege, King Von, was killed in 2020. They accused him of ordering members of Only the Family (OTF) to kill rival rapper Quando Rondo.
However, the gunmen instead killed Rondo’s 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab. She was shot at a gas station near the Beverly Center on August 19, 2022.
Durk’s defense team said he had no involvement in the alleged plan. His lawyers argued that his former personal assistant, Kavon Grant, was actually behind the killing, as per ABC7.
What did Lil Durk’s lawyer say after the verdict?
Durk’s defense lawyer, Drew Findling, celebrated the verdict, saying, “Twenty-two months ago, Durk and I made an agreement that we would make history with the greatest verdict in this country, and it happened today. Durk is not guilty of all charges… The shackles must come off, and he must walk free,” as per Complex.
