OTF Jam testifies in Lil Durk murder-for-hire trial in Los Angeles

Kacey "OTF Jam" Hester took the stand Thursday in the murder-for-hire trial of rapper Lil Durk, describing the 2022 shooting of Quando Rondo as "sloppy."

Cooperating witness describes botched Hollywood gas station ambush

Kacey Hester, known in rap circles as OTF Jam, told a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday that the 2022 shooting of rapper Quando Rondo left him deeply uneasy. "I wasn't feeling good about it at all," Hester said from the stand on the fourth day of trial against his former associate Lil Durk. "I felt it was sloppy."

According to Courthouse News Service, Hester was one of three masked gunmen who fired approximately 18 bullets at a car carrying Rondo, whose legal name is Tyquian Bowman. The shooters missed Bowman but killed his cousin, 24-year-old Saviayaa Robinson, also known as Lil Pab.

Prosecutors allege that Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk — legal name Durk Banks — paid the men to kill Bowman in retaliation for the murder of his friend King Von, legal name Dayvon Bennett. Banks is charged with murder-for-hire alongside co-defendants David Lindsey and Deondre Wilson. Banks maintains he had no role in planning the shooting, and attributes the operation to Kavon Grant, Bennett's cousin.

Hester, now a cooperating witness, has pleaded guilty to Robinson's murder, as has a second gunman, Keith Jones. Grant and Jones are expected to testify later in the proceedings.

"He was innocent. I didn't have no beef with him," Hester said of Robinson. Of Bowman, he added: "That's some rap stuff. I'm not on that level."

Prosecutors say Banks vowed revenge particularly after Bowman celebrated King Von's killing in a rap song, inflaming an already active gang conflict. Hester identified himself as a leader in the Black Disciples, a Chicago street gang based on the South Side. Both he and Banks were affiliated with a clique called Lamron 300 — the number a reference to the comic book and film 300, about the Spartan army. Bowman and Robinson were members of a rival gang.

Hester testified he joined the plan reluctantly. He recalled sitting parked near a Catholic church, tailing Bowman, and growing increasingly doubtful. "This shit don't feel right," he said. "There's just no real plan … Something could go wrong, like police interference."

The group eventually followed Bowman's car to a gas station in West Hollywood. As Bowman's driver fueled a black Escalade, Hester, Lindsey and Jones pulled into a nearby alleyway. Lindsey was first out of the vehicle and opened fire from a significant distance — catching Hester off guard. "I'm used to walking up on people," Hester said. "That's what I thought."

The shooting lasted only seconds. The three men ran back to a waiting car and left the scene. Hester told the driver to slow down. They then ditched the stolen vehicle and transferred to another car, where Grant and Wilson were waiting. Wilson, Hester testified, was on the phone with Banks.

"Did somebody get hit? How many times did you shoot? What did you do?" Hester recalled Banks asking, wanting to know how the ambush had gone.

Hester had testified Wednesday that Banks, at a meeting in an Atlanta recording studio, had promised a large cash reward for killing Bowman — either $500,000 or $1 million. Hester said he was never paid that sum, though he was permitted to record a track with Banks, for which he received $10,000.

His decision to testify against a former friend drew attention not only for the legal stakes but for what it represents in street gang culture — where cooperating with prosecutors carries serious social consequences. Hester explained that his path to the witness stand began with a 2023 gun arrest that violated his parole. He passed a handwritten note to arresting officers that read: "I know about murders. I don't wanna talk on camera. I know a lot."

"I had to get it off my chest. It was weighing on me," he said Thursday.

When asked about his feelings toward Banks, Hester offered a candid assessment. "This might be hard to believe. I still do have a lot of love for him. What he did for me, you can't forget that. I still got love for him, I just got no respect for him. He probably hate me now."

During cross-examination, Banks' defense attorney Brian Steel portrayed Hester as a violent criminal who had killed and robbed without hesitation, and pressed him to acknowledge he was testifying in exchange for leniency. Hester denied it. "Nothing was ever promised to me," he said. "I could still [get] life."

Hester is scheduled to return to the stand Friday.

The trial has attracted considerable attention from the music world. Dozens of supporters of Banks, including several celebrities, have appeared in the courtroom. Thursday's session drew a notable unexpected guest: Ye, the rapper and fashion mogul formerly known as Kanye West, who arrived dressed in black leather pants and watched testimony for several hours.

Source: Courthouse News Service