'Stalk, Hunt And Kill': Prosecutors Lay Out Case Against Grammy-Winning Rapper

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Grammy Award-winning rapper set in motion a plan to "stalk, hunt and kill" a rival in a bloody ambush near the Beverly Center, a prosecutor told a jury in downtown Los Angeles Monday, but the defense countered that rap star Lil Durk had nothing to do with the killing and should be found not guilty of federal charges that could put him behind bars for life.

Lil Durk, born Durk Banks, is accused of putting a bounty on the life of Tyquian Bowman, a rival Atlanta rapper known as Quando Rondo. An alleged hit team consisting of Banks' crew members traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles in August 2022 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, the jury was told in opening statements.

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Banks allegedly ordered, bankrolled and planned the intended murder as revenge after an associate of Bowman's killed a close friend of Banks', Dayvon "King Von" Bennett, two years earlier at an Atlanta nightclub, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Weiner told the panel in the trial of Banks and two co-defendants.

"This case is not about music — it's about murder," Weiner said, adding that Banks had become "consumed with revenge" and was under "pressure from his fans" to avenge the killing of King Von, who was a popular up-and- coming rapper.

However, in her opening statement, Banks' attorney Marissa Goldberg planted the blame for the murder plan on co-defendant Kavon "Cuz" Grant, Banks' personal assistant who pleaded guilty to murder and agreed to cooperate in the case against Banks.

"You'll realize there's no evidence against" her client, Goldberg told the panel Monday in Los Angeles federal court. Banks, she said, "had nothing to do with it."

Jury selection took place over two days in downtown Los Angeles last week. A final panel of 16, including four alternates, was chosen at the end of the day Friday after intense questioning. But before the start of opening statements, U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald told the court that one of the chosen jurors had been involved in a serious car accident over the weekend and was undergoing surgery Monday. The judge excused the injured panelist and put an alternate in her place.

A 32-page superseding indictment filed in July 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.

Banks, 33, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder-for-hire resulting in death. A trial on racketeering charges is expected to take place following the current proceedings.

If convicted of all counts, the rapper could face a life term in federal prison, prosecutors said.

Fitzgerald previously ruled that prosecutors can use music videos, rap lyrics and digital photos as evidence. The judge also decided 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."

Goldberg said such evidence doesn't reveal guilt. Instead, Banks' music is "art. This is what he does for a living."

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. Banks was living at the time in a rented mansion in Encino, but on the day of the shooting, he was in Miami, his attorney said.

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.

Attorneys said the case could take at least three weeks.

Banks was arrested Oct. 17, 2024, near Miami International Airport as he attempted to flee the country, the FBI said.

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