Lil Durk has been acquitted of every charge in his closely watched federal murder-for-hire trial, delivering a sweeping legal victory for the Grammy-winning Chicago rapper after nearly two years in federal custody.

A Los Angeles jury returned the verdict Friday, Sept. 11, after three days of deliberations, finding Durk—whose legal name is Durk Banks—not guilty on all five counts stemming from the deadly 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center.

The charges included conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon, stalking resulting in death, conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities to commit murder for hire resulting in death, and use of interstate commerce facilities to commit murder for hire resulting in death.

But the acquittal will not immediately send Durk home.

Despite being cleared of every charge in this case, Durk remained in federal custody after the verdict because he is awaiting a separate trial on racketeering and weapons charges. That proceeding is currently scheduled to begin Oct. 5.

Durk Breaks Down as Not-Guilty Verdicts Are Read

The emotional weight of the decision became apparent inside the packed downtown Los Angeles courtroom as the clerk began announcing the jury's findings.

Durk initially kept his head down as the verdicts were read. After hearing the second “not guilty,” he began wiping away tears. His wife, India Royale, put her arm around Durk's mother, LaShawnda Woodard, who was also crying.

More than 60 people were packed into the courtroom, while additional supporters who had lined up outside were unable to get in.

U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald warned those in attendance to maintain decorum before the verdict was announced, recognizing that the decision would bring either “joy or grief” depending on the outcome.

Outside the courthouse, Durk's supporters erupted in celebration after learning that the rapper had been cleared.

The verdict ended a trial that had become one of the most closely followed hip-hop criminal cases in recent years, drawing fans, livestreamers and celebrities including Ye and Machine Gun Kelly to the courthouse.

Prosecutors Said Durk Ordered Revenge for King Von

Federal prosecutors accused Durk of orchestrating a plot to kill Atlanta rapper Quando Rondo, whose legal name is Tyquian Bowman, as retaliation for the November 2020 death of Durk's close friend and fellow Chicago rapper King Von.

Von, whose legal name was Dayvon Bennett, was fatally shot following a confrontation outside an Atlanta nightclub involving people associated with Bowman.

Nearly two years later, on Aug. 19, 2022, gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying Bowman and his cousin, Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles.

Bowman survived.

Robinson, 24, was killed.

Prosecutors alleged Durk used his money and influence to organize and finance the operation, sending members of his Only The Family circle to California to carry out the attack. Durk's attorneys maintained throughout the proceedings that he had nothing to do with the plot.

After hearing weeks of testimony and examining the government's evidence, jurors rejected the charges against Durk.

Cooperating Witnesses Became Central to the Trial

Much of the government's case relied on testimony from people who had once been close to Durk.

Kacey “OTF Jam” Hester and Keith Jones, who admitted their involvement in the shooting, testified for prosecutors. Durk's former personal assistant, Kavon Grant, also became a central government witness.

Durk's attorneys aggressively challenged their credibility.

Defense attorney Brian Steel portrayed the cooperating witnesses as people facing serious federal consequences who had incentives to implicate Durk in hopes of receiving more favorable treatment.

Drew Findling, another member of Durk's defense team, focused heavily on Grant, arguing that the former assistant had access to Durk's resources and could have organized the operation without Durk's involvement.

The defense's central position was straightforward: the shooting happened, but prosecutors had not proved that Durk ordered it.

The jury ultimately acquitted him on every count.

Two Co-Defendants Were Not Fully Acquitted

The verdict was different for the two men who stood trial alongside Durk.

Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were acquitted of the murder-for-hire charges but convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death.

That distinction makes Durk's verdict particularly significant.

While jurors found two of his co-defendants guilty of crimes connected to the stalking and deadly attack, they concluded that prosecutors had not proved Durk's criminal responsibility beyond a reasonable doubt on any of the five charges against him.

The verdict does not mean the jury determined that the shooting never occurred or that no criminal conspiracy existed. Rather, Durk was individually acquitted of the federal charges prosecutors brought against him.

Durk Still Isn't Going Home

For Durk and his supporters, the acquittal represents a major victory—but it does not end his legal battle.

Durk remained in custody after Friday's verdict because another federal prosecution is waiting.

According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, Durk faces a separate trial scheduled for Oct. 5 involving racketeering, murder-related and firearms charges. Wilson and Lindsey also face charges in that case.

The separate case means Durk will remain behind bars despite having defeated the prosecution that has dominated headlines surrounding him since his 2024 arrest.

For nearly two years, the murder-for-hire allegations represented one of the greatest threats to the rapper's career and freedom.

On Sept. 11, a federal jury rejected those allegations against him.

But instead of walking out of the courthouse after hearing five not-guilty verdicts, Lil Durk returned to federal custody—with another major trial now only weeks away.