Lil Durk Murder-for-Hire Trial: Shooter Testifies He Was Promised $1M
Key witness Keith Jones told jurors he flew to LA to shoot rapper Quando Rondo after being promised a million dollars. Personal assistant Kavon Grant testified: "Durk told us to."
'Durk Told Us To': Cooperating Witnesses Take Stand in Rapper's Federal Murder Trial
Two cooperating witnesses testified Monday in the federal murder-for-hire trial of Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk, born Durk Banks, according to Courthouse News Service. The proceedings, held in Los Angeles, centered on the 2022 attempt to kill rival rapper Quando Rondo — an attack that instead fatally struck Rondo's 24-year-old cousin, Saviay'a Robinson, at a West Hollywood gas station.
Kavon Grant, Banks' former personal assistant, spent approximately 30 minutes on the stand. Grant has admitted to playing a key role in the plot and told the jury that Banks and his two co-defendants — David Lindsey and Deondre Wilson — were involved in organizing the shooting. When Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Yanniello asked him why they tried to kill Rondo, Grant's answer was direct: "Durk told us to."
Banks' attorney has argued in opening statements that Grant himself organized and masterminded the attack, placing Grant at the center of the case. The verdict is expected to hinge largely on whether the jury finds his testimony credible.
The Shooter's Account
Much of Monday's session was occupied by the testimony of Keith Jones, 35, one of three masked gunmen who opened fire on Rondo's car. Jones said he received a phone call asking him to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles for the job. The message, he recalled, was: "Bro got a million for us." Jones told the jury that "bro" could only mean one person — Durk.
"He's the only person around with a million dollars," Jones said.
Yanniello pressed the point: "Would you fly to LA for free?"
"No," Jones replied. "I would be risking my freedom for free."
Jones said he was never paid, despite asking repeatedly. He did not have Banks' phone number and was not personally close to him, but approached the rapper after a concert. "I asked him, 'Will you still look out for me for the LA shooting?'" Jones testified. Banks replied, according to Jones: "I got you, but you shoulda got up close on him." Banks then smiled and shaped his hand into a gun.
On a separate occasion, Jones said he asked Banks again for the money. This time, Banks told him he did not want to be seen handing over a large sum and directed Jones to an OTF associate known as Bonnie Mo. When Bonnie Mo eventually reached out, the offer had shrunk dramatically: "I'm gonna give you ten in a couple days" — meaning ten thousand dollars, not a million. "I'm like, ten?" Jones said. "I was surprised, kinda pissed." That payment never came either. "I asked five or six times. There was always some excuse," he said.
Shifting Story Under Cross-Examination
Banks' defense attorney Drew Findling challenged Jones's credibility during cross-examination, pointing out that Jones initially denied Banks' involvement when first interviewed by law enforcement, instead identifying Grant as the operation's leader. Jones acknowledged he was lying during that first interview.
Findling then played a video of a subsequent FBI interview in which an agent told Jones he faced life in prison without the possibility of parole and would never see his children again if convicted. Jones began crying on screen. When asked why his account changed so significantly after that exchange — particularly regarding Banks' role — Jones offered a simple explanation: "A lot of things changed. I got sleep. I had time to think."
Wilson's attorney, Craig Harbaugh, pressed him further: "So you could change your story?"
"So I could tell the truth," Jones insisted. When Harbaugh asked whether his memory improved over time, Jones replied with a wry smile: "No."
Context: Retribution for King Von
The attempt on Rondo's life is widely understood — and largely undisputed — to be retaliation for the 2020 death of rapper King Von, a rising Chicago artist signed to Banks' OTF record label. Von was shot and killed by Quando Rondo's cousin, Timothy Leeks, following an altercation in Atlanta. Von was close friends with both Banks and Grant.
In the aftermath, hundreds of hip-hop fans publicly urged Banks to "slide for Von" — street parlance for seeking revenge. Prosecutors say Banks went further: he recorded a song in which he raps, "We gettin' it done … Fuck tweetin', we slidin'." According to the government, Banks effectively offered a bounty for Rondo's death and grew increasingly frustrated when no one in his circle acted on it.
Banks is charged, alongside Lindsey and Wilson, with murder-for-hire and stalking, among other counts. Prosecutors contend that OTF — the name of both Banks' record label and, they allege, a criminal street gang that operated around him — provided the network through which the plot was carried out.
Grant is scheduled to return to the witness stand Tuesday morning. The trial is expected to conclude by the end of the week or shortly after Labor Day weekend.
Source: Courthouse News Service