Lil Durk's murder-for-hire trial goes to jury after final arguments

The federal murder-for-hire trial of Chicago rapper Lil Durk has gone to the jury, following intense closing arguments that turned the spotlight on the prosecution's star witnesses.

Durk, whose real name is Durk Derrick Banks, is accused of orchestrating a 2022 shooting in Los Angeles that targeted rival rapper Quando Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 killing of King Von. The attack instead killed Quando Rondo's cousin, Saviay'a "Lul Pab" Robinson. Durk has pleaded not guilty.

Much of the final phase of the trial focused on Kacey Hester, known as OTF Jam, a long-time associate of the rapper who took the stand to implicate him.

Hester testified that he and Durk had been friends since about 2007. When Hester served a 12-year prison sentence, Durk kept in touch, funded his prison books, and handed him more than $50,000 after his release. Yet six months later, Hester was in Los Angeles. He admitted to being one of the masked gunmen in the fatal 2022 attack, claiming Durk paid for the trip and organised the plot.

The cost of cooperation

The decision to cooperate has backfired catastrophically for Hester. According to prosecutors during closing arguments, Hester was originally facing a maximum of three years in prison on a gun charge. However, in his eagerness to cooperate, he confessed to murders that police were not even investigating. Because of those admissions, he now faces life in prison.

In court, Durk's defence team tore into Hester's credibility, calling him and another cooperating witness, OTF Vonnie, "rats". Defence attorney Brian Steel described Hester as a "coward" and a "serial killer" who had every reason to fabricate stories to save himself. Even Hester’s own family appeared fractured by the decision; his wife testified for the defence, telling the court that their 15-year-old son had disowned his father for "snitching".

Family and defence react

Durk’s father, Dontay Banks Sr., also voiced his disgust at the betrayal. "This stuff make your stomach turn," Banks Sr. said, pointing out how much his son had done for Hester after his release from prison. "Now you gonna sit up here and get up on the stand and be lying on him."

Meanwhile, Durk's other attorney, Drew Findling, urged the jury to view the rapper not as a gang leader, but as a storyteller. "He is a lyricist. He is blessed from above. He’s The Voice," Findling said, referencing Durk's popular nickname.

With closing arguments finished, the twelve jurors are now deliberating whether to believe the rapper's defence or the word of the associates who turned on him.