Lil Durk could beat murder conspiracy charges, says celebrity lawyer

FBI affidavit reveals Lil Durk is charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, along with other members of OTF.

According to an FBI affidavit released on October 25, 2024, rapper Lil Durk, legally named Durk Devontay Banks, faces official charges of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Additional members of his rap collective, OTF, were also taken into custody.

Lil Durk was arrested on Thursday night, October 24, facing federal allegations that he financed an attempted revenge killing in 2022 targeting rapper Quando Rondo. However, the incident led to the death of Rondo’s cousin in a gas station shooting instead.

New details emerged as celebrity attorney Bradford M. Cohen discussed Lil Durk's case, suggesting the rapper might be able to contest the murder conspiracy charge. 

Speaking on Law&Crime’s YouTube podcast on October 29, he commented, "When it comes to Durk Banks, you know, so far, I've seen one text that says, 'Don't have them associate my name with any kind of flights that they're taking.' Certainly, that's not a good text, but is that the only text? Because that doesn't, you know, that it in itself doesn't stand on its own. Certainly, it's circumstantial."

Currently, the only apparent evidence against Durk includes this message distancing himself from the travel plans of other OTF members. Bradford Cohen added that, although the text was "not a good text," further proof would be needed to substantiate the conspiracy charge against him.

The Chicago-based rapper Lil Durk is now detained in connection with the murder-for-hire conspiracy. Jesse Weber of Law&Crime examined the indictment and charges against Lil Durk and other alleged co-conspirators. Later on Law&Crime’s podcast, Bradford Cohen joined to discuss the case.

"I think that Durk will still have a defense…. I think there's some missing pieces there, when it comes to Durk, about how involved he was in this alleged conspiracy. The other guys, where they all have plane tickets, they all got a car, you know, they're on tape. That's going to be a very difficult case for those lawyers who have that case…"

In the video, Cohen explained that although there is no further evidence against Durk yet, the "other guys" involved in the case face incriminating evidence like travel records and video footage, which may make their defense more challenging.