Lil Durk Trial Week 1 Recap: Flipped OTF Crew Member Calls Quando Rondo Shooting ‘Sloppy’
Billboard is running down the key moments from the first week of Durk's murder-for-hire trial.
Week 1 of Lil Durk's murder-for-hire trial commenced on Monday (Aug. 24) in Los Angeles federal court. The rapper, known as Durk Banks, faces allegations of orchestrating the killing of rapper Quando Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 murder of his close friend, King Von. Rondo narrowly survived the 2022 shooting at a Los Angeles gas station, while another individual, Lul Pab, was killed in the crossfire.
Two individuals, David "Browneyez" Lindsey and Deandre "OTF Dede" Wilson, are also on trial in connection with the alleged murder.
Prosecutor Daniel Weiner argued during opening statements that Durk was driven by "revenge" following Von's death. Weiner claimed that Durk arranged for multiple OTF associates to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles with the intent to "track, stalk, hunt and kill" Rondo while he awaited updates at a nearby rental house. Defense attorney Marissa Goldberg, however, maintained that Durk had "nothing to do with" the shooting, asserting that there is no evidence supporting his involvement in paying for a hit on Rondo.
Goldberg argued that the plot's real mastermind was Kavon "Vonnie" Grant, a shooter who has become a government witness.
The trial's initial days primarily focused on presenting evidence. On Tuesday (Aug. 25), jurors watched a surveillance video from an In-N-Out Burger restaurant, where the alleged shooters were allegedly seen "joking around" and "having a good time" after the murder of Pab. On Tuesday, prosecutors also presented numerous text messages sent by Durk after Von's death, including statements like "I gotta go all out for him," "I can't let this slide" and "him dying turning me a different animal."
On Wednesday (Aug. 26), the jurors heard the first song admitted as evidence, an unreleased 2021 music video for the track "Redman." The video depicts Durk reading news stories about Von's death and then shooting a man that prosecutors described as a "Rondo look-alike." Durk's lawyers argued that his music should not be taken literally but viewed as a performance expressing his emotions through artwork.
Durk's attorney Brian Steel questioned an FBI agent during cross-examination about the "Redman" video, challenging the notion that Durk's actions were genuine.
The trial reached a turning point later on Wednesday when the first of multiple cooperating witnesses, Kacey "OTF Jam" Hester, a former friend of Durk's and a Chicago gang member, took the stand. Hester testified that he regretted participating in the murder of an "innocent" man and felt it was "sloppy." He also revealed that Durk offered a substantial cash reward for the shooting, which was never paid, but Hester allegedly received $10,000 to record a track with Durk.
Hester wrote in a note to police in 2023, admitting to knowing about murders and stating that he had to "get it off my chest" by testifying against Durk. Durk's defense attorney aggressively cross-examined Hester, pointing out inconsistencies in his story and questioning his motives for cooperating with the government. The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks, with a new session slated to begin on Monday.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
