Grammy-winning US rapper Lil Durk acquitted in murder-for-hire trial

In the three-week trial, two co-defendants were tried alongside Banks. Deandre "OTF Dede" Wilson and David "Browneyez" Lindsey were convicted of stalking and conspiracy to commit stalking, but acquitted of murder-for-hire charges, the BBC's US partner CBS News reports.The trial relied on three co-operating witnesses, Kavon "OTF Vonnie" Grant, Keith "Flacka" Jones and Kacey "OTF Jam" Hester, who reached plea deals and testified against Banks, Wilson and Lindsey.It stemmed from a fatal shooting in August 2022 at a petrol station in Los Angeles, where a car carrying Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Bowman, was shot at. Bowman was unharmed, but his cousin Saviay'a Robinson, who was also in the car, was killed.Federal prosecutors accused Banks of plotting to kill Bowman, in retaliation for the earlier murder of Chicago OTF rapper King Von, who was signed to OTF. Von was killed in 2020 during an early-morning exchange of gunfire in Atlanta.A friend of Bowman was charged with King Von's murder, but the charges were later dropped. Bowman was not arrested or charged.Authorities said Banks made it known that he would "pay a bounty" to anyone who killed Bowman. Prosecutors argued that Banks felt pressure on social media to avenge Von's death.Banks founded OTF in 2010. He won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his single "All My Life" featuring J Cole. He has also been nominated for a Grammy three other times.