LOS ANGELES, CA — Jury selection got underway Thursday in the trial of the Grammy Award-winning rapper known as Lil Durk, who faces federal charges arising from a suspected murder-for-hire near the Beverly Center four years ago in which prosecutors say a relative of the intended target was gunned down.
Lil Durk, born Durk Banks, is accused of putting a bounty on the life of Tyquian Bowman, an Atlanta rapper known as Quando Rondo. An alleged hit team consisting of Banks' crew members traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles with the intention of killing Bowman, but a botched ambush at a gas station near the Beverly Center shopping mall resulted in the death of Bowman's cousin, who was traveling with him, according to prosecutors.
Banks allegedly ordered Bowman's murder as revenge after an associate of Bowman's killed his close friend Dayvon "King Von" Bennett two years earlier at an Atlanta nightclub.
The 32-page fourth superseding indictment filed in July in Los Angeles federal court names Banks as the lead defendant in the case that also charges alleged members and associates of his rap collective — known as Only the Family, or OTF. He is being tried starting Thursday along with two co- defendants.
Banks, 33, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder in aid of racketeering, stalking resulting in death, conspiracy to commit stalking, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and discharging a machine gun in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.
If convicted of all counts, the rapper would face a mandatory life term in federal prison, prosecutors said.
Defense motions to suppress or exclude government evidence have largely been denied by U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald during pretrial hearings or in written rulings. The judge rejected an April 2025 bid by Banks' attorneys to have the case dismissed based on arguments that federal prosecutors presented false evidence to the grand jury to obtain the original indictment.
A defense attorney did not respond to a list of questions sent by City News Service on Wednesday.
The U.S. Attorney's Office contends that around Aug. 18, 2022, the alleged conspirators learned that Bowman was staying at a hotel in Los Angeles. The next day, Banks' five friends traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles "for the purpose of murdering" Bowman, prosecutors allege.
Members and associates of OTF allegedly used two vehicles and worked in tandem to track, stalk and attempt to murder Bowman at a gas station on Beverly Boulevard, according to court papers.
The alleged co-conspirators fired at least 18 rounds at Bowman's vehicle, striking and killing Bowman's relative who was traveling with the intended target, prosecutors said. Bowman was at the scene of the shooting that killed his cousin, known as Lul Pab, court papers show.
During trial, prosecutors are expected to present Banks' music, segments of YouTube interviews and cell phone pictures along with other evidence. Fitzgerald ruled the prosecution can show Banks' 2021 "Pissed Me Off" music video, which has lyrics prosecutors maintain illustrate the defendant's desire to avenge the death of King Von, whom prosecutors described as an OTF member and "fellow Black Disciples gang member."
Prosecutors said they expect to take 11 to 13 days to present their case.
Banks was arrested Oct. 17, 2024, near Miami International Airport as he attempted to flee the country, the FBI says.
Since the release of his debut album in 2015, Banks has issued a total of eight solo studio albums, not including mixtapes or collaborative projects recorded with other artists. Banks was nominated for a Grammy on four occasions, winning one in 2024 for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his song "All My Life," which featured J. Cole.
By Fred Shuster, City News Service
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