Lil Durk is heading before a Los Angeles jury on allegations that he ordered a murder-for-hire plot aimed at rival rapper Quando Rondo that instead left Rondo’s cousin dead.
Jury selection was set to begin Thursday in the federal case against Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks. Prosecutors claim the 33-year-old rapper placed a bounty on Rondo, born Tyquian Bowman, and enlisted members of his Only the Family crew to carry out the alleged hit.
Durk has pleaded not guilty.
The case centers on an August 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. Prosecutors say alleged members of the conspiracy tracked Rondo before gunmen opened fire on his vehicle. Rondo survived, but his cousin, known as Lul Pab, was killed.
Authorities allege the attack was retaliation for the 2020 killing of Durk’s close friend and collaborator King Von outside an Atlanta nightclub.
Durk’s attorneys have pushed back, arguing there is no evidence showing he ordered the shooting. He was not in Los Angeles when it happened.
The rapper is being tried alongside Deandre “OTF Dede” Wilson and David “Browneyez” Lindsey, who have also denied the charges.
Jurors are expected to see surveillance video, messages and cellphone evidence. Some of Durk’s music may also be introduced after prosecutors received permission to use certain lyrics and videos.
If convicted on all counts, Durk faces a mandatory life sentence.