Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk’s October 5 trial has been postponed for a year. A California jury acquitted Durk of all charges in a federal murder-for-hire trial in September.
The jury did not believe a federal prosecutor’s allegations that Durk paid five hitmen to kill his rap rival Tyquian “Quando Rondo” Bowman in retaliation for the 2020 murder of Durk’s close friend and artist Dayvon “King Von” Bennett, 26.
On August 19, 2022 the hitmen from Chicago followed Bowman and his cousin Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson to a gas station near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. They shot at Bowman but missed and killed Robinson instead.
On September 11, Durk (real name Durk Banks) was acquitted on all 5 counts of conspiracy to commit stalking and murder-for-hire.
He remains in federal custody and faces a separate trial on VICAR (Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering) or murder in aid of racketeering charges.
On Wednesday, Durk’s defense attorneys asked to postpone Durk’s VICAR trial until next year to give them “reasonable time necessary for effective preparation.”
Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald set the trial date for August 30, 2027 at 8:30 a.m., according to LA Magazine.
The judge said additional time is necessary due to the “unusual complexity” of the case and the volume of evidence to sift through.
Durk, 33, has a bond hearing scheduled for November 4, 2026. He is expected to be released on bond.
The VICAR federal indictment alleges Durk’s rap label, Only the Family (OTF) operated as a criminal enterprise. He allegedly offered money and music opportunities to his associates in exchange for murdering his rap rivals.