Federal Jury Selection Begins in Lil Durk Case Over 2022 Shooting That Killed Lul Pab
A federal jury is being selected in Los Angeles to hear the case against rapper Lil Durk, who prosecutors accuse of directing a 2022 murder-for-hire plot targeting Quando Rondo that ultimately resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson. Jury selection began on Thursday, August 20, marking a major turning point in a case that has remained in the federal court system for nearly two years. Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, has pleaded not guilty and continues to deny the allegations against him. The trial will examine whether prosecutors can prove that he financed and directed the alleged attack or whether the government’s evidence falls short of establishing his involvement. The case has attracted significant attention because it involves a prominent hip-hop artist, a deadly shooting and allegations connected to the 2020 killing of fellow rapper King Von.
Durk is being tried alongside Deandre “DeDe” Wilson and David “Browneyez” Lindsey, who prosecutors also accuse of participating in the alleged plot. Both men, like Durk, have pleaded not guilty and will face the government’s evidence as the federal trial moves forward. Prosecutors allege that Durk placed a bounty on Tyquian “Quando Rondo” Bowman as retaliation for the death of King Von in Atlanta in November 2020. Von, whose legal name was Dayvon Bennett, was killed during an altercation outside an Atlanta nightclub, while Timothy “Lul Tim” Leeks was accused in connection with the shooting. The murder charge against Leeks was later dropped after Georgia prosecutors determined that he acted in self-defense, leaving the events surrounding Von’s death as an important part of the alleged motive in the federal case against Durk.
According to federal prosecutors, the alleged retaliation culminated in Los Angeles on August 19, 2022. The government alleges that members and associates connected to Only The Family tracked Quando Rondo before opening fire on his vehicle at a gas station near the Beverly Center. Authorities have said that at least 18 shots were fired during the attack, with Rondo surviving the shooting while his cousin Lul Pab was killed. Prosecutors contend that Durk financed and directed the operation, pointing to alleged travel arrangements, OTF-related payments and communications that they say connect him to people who traveled from Chicago to California. The government will now have to present that evidence to a jury and establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Durk was responsible for directing the alleged murder-for-hire plot.
The case has already involved extensive legal disputes over what evidence prosecutors will be permitted to present at trial. U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald has ruled on multiple efforts by Durk’s defense team to suppress government evidence and has also considered disputes over the scope of the charges. In July, Fitzgerald agreed to sever two counts that prosecutors had added through a broader indictment, preventing those allegations from significantly expanding the case scheduled for trial in August. Those severed charges remain pending and could potentially be addressed in separate proceedings. The ruling allows the current murder-for-hire case to move forward without forcing the defense to prepare for substantially different allegations shortly before trial.
Jurors are expected to hear evidence covering a wide range of material, including text messages, photographs, music videos, podcast appearances and information obtained from Durk’s iCloud account. Prosecutors have also been permitted to introduce a 911 call connected to the shooting as they attempt to establish what happened on the night Lul Pab was killed. The government is expected to argue that the combined evidence can help demonstrate motive, intent and connections between Durk and the alleged participants in the attack. The defense, however, has challenged the relevance of some of the material and has disputed attempts to use music and public comments as evidence of criminal intent. How jurors interpret that evidence could become one of the most important aspects of the trial.
One particularly notable piece of evidence involves a 2021 interview featuring 6ix9ine and Wack 100 on DJ Akademiks’ platform. During the interview, the two men criticized Durk over what they portrayed as his failure to retaliate for King Von’s death. Prosecutors say the comments are relevant because they intend to establish that Durk was concerned about the perception that he had not responded to Von’s killing. The government is expected to use testimony and other evidence to argue that this pressure contributed to the alleged motive behind the later attack on Quando Rondo. Durk’s defense has questioned whether such public commentary should be treated as evidence of criminal intent, making the issue another potential point of contention before the jury.
The government’s case is expected to take approximately 11 to 13 days once prosecutors begin presenting evidence and calling witnesses. That timeframe could change depending on the number of witnesses, legal disputes and the complexity of the evidence presented during the proceedings. Prosecutors will have the burden of proving their allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, while Durk’s defense will have the opportunity to challenge the government’s witnesses and evidence. The defense has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and has repeatedly sought to have the case brought before a jury. The beginning of jury selection therefore represents the start of the stage Durk’s legal team has been working toward for an extended period.
Durk has remained in federal custody since his October 2024 arrest near Miami International Airport. Federal investigators alleged that he had arranged several international flights after learning that other defendants connected to the case had been arrested. His continued detention has kept the case in the public spotlight while his attorneys pursued various legal challenges ahead of trial. The lengthy period between his arrest and jury selection reflects the complexity of the federal proceedings and the extensive disputes over evidence and charges. Now that prospective jurors are being considered, the case is moving from pretrial litigation into the phase where prosecutors and defense attorneys will present their competing versions of events.
The potential consequences for Durk are substantial if prosecutors secure a conviction on the most serious charges. He faces the possibility of life in federal prison, making the outcome one of the most consequential legal battles of his career. However, the allegations remain unproven, and a jury must evaluate the evidence presented during the trial before reaching a verdict. The prosecution will need to connect the alleged planning, financing, communications and participants to Durk in a way that satisfies the federal standard of proof. His defense will have the opportunity to challenge those connections and argue that the government’s interpretation of the evidence does not establish his guilt.
The trial also places renewed attention on the violent history surrounding the relationships between Durk, King Von and Quando Rondo. The 2020 death of Von and the later shooting involving Rondo form the broader background to the government’s alleged motive, but the jury’s task will be to determine the specific facts connected to the 2022 attack. Prosecutors will attempt to show that the Los Angeles shooting was a deliberate act of retaliation that Durk helped organise. The defense will seek to challenge that narrative and the evidence supporting it. Separating the broader history between the artists from the specific allegations against Durk will be important as jurors consider the case.
With jury selection now underway, the federal case against Lil Durk has reached one of its most closely watched stages. Prosecutors are preparing to argue that Durk directed and financed an attempt to kill Quando Rondo that instead resulted in Lul Pab’s death, while the defense continues to maintain his innocence. Jurors are expected to examine a substantial body of evidence, including communications, financial information, digital material, interviews and other records that prosecutors say support their allegations. The trial will ultimately depend on whether the government can establish Durk’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt rather than simply demonstrate that he had a motive or connection to the people involved. As the proceedings continue, the jury will determine whether the prosecution’s case is sufficient to support a conviction in a case that could have life-changing consequences for the rapper.
