Chicago rapper Lil Durk, whose birth name is Durk Banks, has been acquitted of all charges in a murder-for-hire scheme. The case involved a man who was fatally shot in 2022.
Prosecutors had accused Banks of offering a bounty for the life of Atlanta rapper Tayquian Bowman. This was allegedly in retaliation for the 2020 shooting death of Banks's friend, fellow Chicago rap star King Von.
The state alleged that associates of Only the Family, described as Banks's record label and alleged criminal enterprise, tracked Bowman to a West Hollywood gas station in 2022. During an ambush there, Bowman’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, was fatally shot.
Banks's legal team questioned the reliability of testimony from Kacey Hester, who claimed to be a shooter in the attack. The defence also sought to portray Kavon Grant, Banks's former assistant, as the mastermind of the 2022 shooting.
Despite the acquittal, Banks's legal issues are not concluded. He is due to appear in court for a second trial on a racketeering charge, scheduled for 5 October.