{
  "id": 3082800,
  "title": "Lil Durk Put a Bounty on Quando Rondo for ‘Revenge,’ Jury Told as Murder-for-Hire Trial Opens",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/lil-durk-put-a-bounty-on-quando-rondo-for-revenge-jury-told-as-murder",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-24T18:27:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/pro/lil-durk-murder-for-hire-trial-begins/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A federal prosecutor opened the murder-for-hire trial for Lil Durk, the Chicago rapper, by alleging that he commissioned the killing of rapper Quando Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 death of fellow rapper King Von. The charges against Durk and several members of his Only the Family (OTF) label crew include conspiracy, stalking, and murder-for-hire. On the first day of the trial, held at the Downtown Los Angeles federal courthouse on Monday, Aug. 24, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Weiner laid out the prosecution's case. Weiner stated that Durk paid for flights that took numerous OTF associates from Chicago to Los Angeles where the plan was for the individuals to \"track, stalk, hunt and kill\" Rondo. Evidence includes surveillance footage of the gas station shooting, text messages, and Durk's rap lyrics, as well as testimony from three cooperating witnesses who have pled guilty and will testify against Durk. Durk's defense lawyer, Marissa Goldberg, maintains her client's innocence, arguing that there is no evidence to support the claim that he ordered the hit. Goldberg contends that Vonnie, a best friend of Von since birth and Durk's \"right-hand man,\" was the real mastermind behind the plot. She argues that Vonnie, who had access to Durk's credit cards, used Durk's identity to frame him once he was caught by law enforcement. Goldberg also cautioned jurors not to place any weight on Durk's rap lyrics and music videos as evidence, asserting that they are artistic expressions of his emotions rather than a criminal motive. Durk, along with co-defendants David \"Browneyez\" Lindsey and Deandre \"OTF Dede\" Wilson, are all charged in the case. If convicted on all charges, the defendants could face up to life in prison.",
  "summary": "Durk's attorney countered that he had \"nothing to do with” the shooting and said another man was the true mastermind.",
  "key_points": [
    "Lil Durk accused of paying for Quando Rondo's murder in retaliation for King Von's death.",
    "Prosecution presents surveillance footage, text messages, and rap lyrics as evidence.",
    "Defense lawyer argues Vonnie, not Durk, masterminded the plot."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}