Murder-For-Hire Trial Delayed Until October

Topline

Chicago rapper Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire trial was pushed back to October from its original date of Jan. 7 after both the prosecution and defense agreed the case, centering on the alleged 2022 murder-for-hire plot that targeted rapper Quando Rondo and resulted in the death of another person, is “so unusual and so complex” and requires more time to prepare.

Key Facts

Tangent

Erik Nielson, a University of Richmond African American literature professor who wrote “Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America” about lyrics being used as evidence in court proceedings, criticized prosecutors for using lyrics as “literal confessions” in Lil Durk’s case. He told the Chicago Sun-Times prosecutors tend to be “dangerously sloppy” with lyrics as evidence, citing rapper Young Thug’s RICO trial in which Nielson said prosecutors cited lyrics written by the rapper’s collaborators. “In many cases, [prosecutors] are knowingly and intentionally misrepresenting rap music in service of obtaining a conviction,” Nielson said.

What To Watch For

Lil Durk, who has been held in jail since his October arrest, is still scheduled to release an album this month. “Deep Thoughts” will release on Jan. 31 after it was postponed from its planned release in October following the rapper’s charges.

Key Background

According to an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, prosecutors allege Lil Durk and five co-defendants—Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey and Asa Houston—conspired in 2022 to kill rapper Quando Rondo as retaliation for a 2020 altercation between his crew and King Von’s crew, which involved an exchange of gunfire that killed King Von. Quando Rondo’s affiliate Timothy “Lul Tim” Leeks was eventually charged with murder. Prosecutors say the men traveled to Los Angeles to shoot and kill Quando Rondo in his car, but their gunfire instead killed his cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, who was a passenger in the vehicle. Attorneys for the five men arrested in Chicago declined to comment to Forbes. An affidavit filed in federal court, based on testimony by FBI agent Sarah Corcoran, states Lil Durk had placed a bounty on Quando Rondo’s life, citing unnamed witnesses, and that flight tickets purchased to carry out the murder-for-hire were made with credit cards linked to Lil Durk and Only The Family. Lil Durk attempted to flee the United States prior to his arrest, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s office and the affidavit, which states he had three flights booked to Italy, Switzerland and Dubai, but did not board any of them.

Quando Rondo Releases “life Goes On”—apparent Response To Murder

Quando Rondo released a new song titled “Life Goes On,” which appears to reference the slaying of his cousin and laments violence in hip-hop. “I’m scarred from all the losses in the streets/I never thought I’d see your name next to R.I.P.​,” he raps. “We didn’t get into this music industry to make it just to stay caught up in this street sh*t,” he said in a statement on Instagram, adding he forgives those he has “had issues with in the past” and is “praying for everyone,” though he did not mention Lil Durk or Only The Family by name.

Lil Durk’s Donation To Chicago Mayor Johnson’s Campaign Under Scrutiny

Lil Durk’s financial contribution to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has also faced scrutiny. The rapper made a $150,000 donation to the mayor’s campaign last year, though the mayor declined to tell reporters over the weekend whether he would keep or return the money. The Chicago Tribune editorial board called on the mayor to return the money in an editorial Monday, urging him to “get himself as far away from this PR nightmare as possible and do it as quickly as possible.” Officials in Broadview, a Chicago suburb, rescinded Lil Durk’s key to the city, which was given to him a week before his arrest to honor his Neighborhood Heroes youth nonprofit organization. Pulse Ghana, a Ghanaian news outlet, reported fans protested in the streets for Lil Durk’s freedom Monday, wearing shirts bearing Only The Family logos.

What Happened To King Von?

King Von, whose real name is Dayvon Daquan Bennett, was shot and killed outside of a hookah lounge in Atlanta in the early hours of Nov. 6, 2020. Local police said King Von’s group was involved in an argument with another group led by Quando Rondo, and the “argument quickly escalated to gunfire” around 3:20 a.m., resulting in six people shot and two dead. Surveillance footage published by TMZ appeared to show King Von throwing punches at Quando Rondo and his crew, which cited unnamed sources claiming King Von’s crew approached Quando Rondo as he napped in his car. Two weeks after the shooting, Quando Rondo released a song apparently addressing his role in the incident titled “End of Story.” He claimed the gunfire was “self defense,” rapping, “he shouldn’t have never put his hands on me, look at the footage, that’s all the evidence.”

Who Is Lil Durk?

Lil Durk is a Chicago rapper who formed the Only The Family group in 2010, with which he has released six albums. King Von was a member of Only The Family prior to his killing. Lil Durk had his breakthrough in the 2010s after signing to Def Jam Records and releasing the albums “Remember My Name” in 2015 and “Lil Durk 2X” in 2016. He later signed with Alamo Records and earned his first Grammy nominations for “Laugh Now Cry Later,” a collaboration with Drake, in 2021. He topped the Billboard 200 for the first time with “7220” in 2022, and released his biggest hit, “All My Life,” his Grammy-winning collaboration with J. Cole, in 2023.

Further Reading

Five in Chicago accused in L.A. murder-for-hire shooting to avenge rapper King Von’s slaying (Chicago Tribune)

Quando Rondo Addresses King Von’s Fatal Shooting in “End of Story” (Complex)