Lil Durk was extradited to Los Angeles to face charges in relation to his murder-for-hire case.
The Chicago rapper pleaded not guilty in his arraignment in a Los Angeles court on Thursday (November 14). Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, was arrested by US Marshals on October 25 in Miami, hours after five OTF associates were taken into custody in Chicago for the same case. According to law enforcement authorities, The OTF rapper and his associates attempted to murder rival rapper Quando Rondo in Los Angeles in 2022.
The Grammy-winning rapper was charged with the use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire, resulting in death, and one count of using, conspiracy, carrying and discharging firearms and a machine gun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death. Upon his arrest last month, Durk was hit with one charge of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, but he is now facing an additional two charges.
The superseding indictment also listed the 32-year-old rapper as the lead defendant in the case, which includes several of his associates who are behind bars. There are some rumors that one of his affiliates turned government informant and was allegedly wearing a wire during their interactions. Authorities have not yet spoken on those rumors.
According to the feds, the five OTF associates, Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey, and Asa Houston, traveled to Los Angeles in August 2022 to kill Quando Rondo after learning about his whereabouts. Prosecutors say a credit card link to the label was used to book flights and rental cars used to carry out the hit placed on Rondo.
The men eventually found Quando Rondo and fired shots at him in a drive-by shooting at a gas station in Los Angeles. While the Savannah rapper was not hurt, his cousin, Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, was shot and killed.
Federal prosecutors are now saying that Lil Durk, the head of OTF (Only The Family), was the mastermind behind the alleged hit placed on Rondo in retaliation for the killing of King Von in Atlanta in 2020. Prosecutors say that Durk allegedly told his associates, “Don’t book no flights under no names involved wit [sic] me.”
“The same day the hitmen traveled from Chicago to California, [Lil Durk] also traveled to California in a private jet with another conspirator, Kavon London Grant, 28, a.k.a. ‘Cuz’ and ‘Vonnie,’” the feds say in a statement. “Later that day, Grant allegedly purchased ski masks for the shooters to use to commit the murder and paid — using a credit card in Banks’ name — for the other co-conspirators’ hotel room.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue ordered Durk Banks remanded in custody without bail. A status hearing is scheduled for November 25, and a detention hearing for December 12, 2024. According to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, a tentative trial date for Lil Durk is set for January 7, 2025.
If convicted, Lil Durk faces life in prison for the crime.
