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A federal jury has found Lil Durk not guilty of plotting to kill Georgia rapper Quando Rondo. Durk has been in federal custody since 2024, when he was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit stalking, and stalking resulting in death.

Prosecutors had argued the Grammy winner worked with a cohort of five men tied to his Only the Family (OTF) collective to orchestrate a hit on Bowman, born Tyquian Bowman, as revenge for the 2020 murder of Durk’s friend King Von. Timothy “Lul Timm” Leeks, who prosecutors said was “an associate” of Bowman’s, was later charged with killing Von. Those charges were eventually dropped.

The federal government’s case was mostly built on the testimony of Durk’s associates, who were initially charged as co-defendants before pleading guilty. Prosecutors sought to use Durk’s lyrics as evidence in the case, a controversial tactic many artists and First Amendment advocates have criticized. Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald ruled to admit some lyrics referencing Durk’s state of mind following the death of Von.

Kavon Grant, aka OTF Vonnie, alleged Durk had promised cash for Bowman’s murder, while Durk’s defense team argued Grant was actually the one behind the shooting and that the government’s case was built on cooperators desperate to avoid life sentences. Kacey Hester, aka OTF Jam, said he was among those who trailed Bowman before ambushing him at a gas station, where they instead shot and killed Bowman’s cousin Saviay’a Tilal “Lul Pab” Robinson. “It’s Durk’s fault,” Hester testified. “Durk put us in the situation.” Durk has consistently denied the allegations.

Durk will remain in custody for an October 5 trial on racketeering charges.

This story is developing…

Hattie Lindert is an associate staff writer at Pitchfork. A former editor at Resident Advisor, she has written for Rolling Ston e, The FACE and The A.V. Club, among others. She’s based in New York, and born and raised in Vermont. ... Read More

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Alex Suskind has overseen music coverage for New York magazine’s Vulture and, before that, Entertainment Weekly. He has written about TV, film, technology, politics, and tons of other stuff for The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and The Fader. ... Read More

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