Lil Durk pleads not guilty in murder-for-hire case
Lil Durk was recently hit with some serious charges involving an alleged murder-for-hire plot of a rival rapper, resulting in the death of his cousin. The Chicago native appeared in Los Angeles federal court this week and pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, murder-for-hire and firearms charges.
The charges he’s facing include one count of conspiracy, one count of using interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and one count of using, carrying and discharging firearms and a machine gun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.
Durk’s trial is set to begin on January 7th, 2025, with the rapper scheduled for a status conference on November 25th and a detention hearing on December 12th. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors allege that Lil Durk plotted to murder Quando Rondo alongside five co-conspirators connected to his Only the Family crew. They claim several members of the crew flew to California and tracked Rondo to an alley behind a Los Angeles petrol station, using firearms to open fire at him.
Rather than killing the target, it’s alleged that the shooting resulted in the death of his cousin, Lul Pab, who was standing next to his vehicle at the time. The shooting is claimed to be a response to the murder of King Von in November 2020.
Lil Durk reportedly attempted to flee the United States prior to his arrest. FBI Special Agent Sarah Corcoran stated he had booked several flights and was even close to boarding one, with the locations ranging from Europe to the Middle East.
The agent confirmed that the rapper had attempted to flee the country, claiming “Shortly after making these arrests and executing the search warrants, the FBI received notifications from U.S. Customs and Border Protection showing that [Durk] had been booked as a passenger on two international flights.” While this is no indication of guilt, it did make the legal process all the more fraught for the rapper.
There was “a one-way flight from Miami to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, connecting through Doha, Qatar, scheduled to depart the evening of October 24th; and a one-way flight from Fort Lauderdale to Switzerland, connecting via New Jersey, also scheduled to depart the evening of October 24th.”
The suggestion that Durk attempted to flee the country in light of the charges means that this high-profile case will now be under extra scrutiny as the rapper attempts to defend himself.