Rapper Lil Durk acquitted of murder-for-hire at Los Angeles trial

A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted rapper Lil Durk of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death, and murder for hire on Friday. The charges stemmed from an alleged plot to have rival rapper Quando Rondo killed in a Los Angeles gas station shooting that killed Rondo's cousin in 2020. Durk, the 33-year-old Chicago hip-hop artist, was found not guilty by the 12-person jury after three days of deliberation.

His co-defendants, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey, were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking but acquitted of murder for hire. The prosecution alleged that Durk paid for the murder in August 2022, but the jury found him innocent. Durk supporters, including music stars Machine Gun Kelly and Kanye West, were in the courtroom during the trial. Durk remains in custody pending a second trial on a racketeering charge.