Rapper Lil Durk has entered a not-guilty plea in his federal murder-for-hire case during an appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday (November 14). The Chicago artist, extradited from Miami where he was apprehended three weeks ago, will remain in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.
According to HipHopDX, Durk, whose legal name is Durk Derrick Banks, was initially detained in Florida while allegedly attempting to flee the country. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California has since filed two additional charges: use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and using and possessing firearms, including a machine gun, in furtherance of a violent crime resulting in death.
A detention hearing is scheduled for December 12 to determine if Durk will be granted a bond.
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The Lil Durk case is yet another troubling example of the criminal justice system intersecting hip-hop in the most violent of ways. But Durk isn’t alone on an island with these serious charges. Let’s break down the five other men allegedly involved in rapper Lil Durk’s suspected murder-for-hire plot targeting rapper Quando Rondo, who are now facing federal charges alongside the famed Chicago rapper.
Durk Banks, better known as Lil Durk, was arrested on October 24 in Miami. Prosecutors allege that the 28-year-old Chicago rapper placed a hit on Rondo in response to the 2020 death of fellow musician and close friend, King Von. Serious charges.
Now, according to authorities, five of Lil Durk’s associates allegedly assisted in an August 19, 2022, shooting intended for Rondo that instead resulted in the death of Rondo’s 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson.
The five men, all linked to Lil Durk’s Only The Family (OTF) collective, were arrested in Chicago on October 24 under a federal grand jury indictment containing four counts related to the murder-for-hire plot.
The indicted individuals are:
Kavon London Grant, 28, a.k.a. “Cuz” and “Vonnie,” of Chicago
Deandre Dontrell Wilson, 33, a.k.a. “DeDe,” of Chicago
Keith Jones, 33, a.k.a. “Flacka,” of Gary, Indiana
David Brian Lindsey, 33, a.k.a. “Browneyez,” of Addison, Illinois
Asa Houston, 36, a.k.a. “Boogie,” of Chicago
Get this: Jones is additionally charged with possession of a machine gun.
All defendants made their initial court appearances in the Northern District of Illinois on October 24. According to an October 25 news release from the Central District of California, they are expected to be arraigned in the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
What’s more, if convicted, Lil Durk and the other five men each face potential life sentences.
As we said, these are serious charges.
As of Nov. 4, Grant, Wilson, and Lindsey were held at Winnebago County Jail in Illinois, awaiting extradition to Los Angeles. Houston and Jones remain in federal custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. Lil Durk continues to be held in federal custody in Miami.
Maybe he needs Brian Steel to represent him. You know, Young Thug’s lawyer, and we know how that turned out.