Lil Durk Murder‑for‑Hire Trial: Testimony Unveils New Details on Alleged Plot Against Quando Rondo

Chicago rapper Lil Durk mounted a rapid‑fire defense Thursday, calling nine witnesses—including the wife of a key government witness—as both sides rested their cases in the high‑profile murder‑for‑hire trial. The judge set closing arguments for Tuesday.

Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, is accused of ordering the killing of rival rapper Quando Rondo (legally Tyquian Bowman) in retaliation for the 2020 murder of King Von, a close friend and musical protégé. Prosecutors allege Banks placed a bounty on Bowman and that members of his “Only The Family” (OTF) crew opened fire on Bowman’s vehicle at a Beverly Center gas station on Aug. 19, 2022. Bowman survived, but his cousin, Saviay’a Robinson (known as Lul Pab), was killed.

The government’s case hinges on cooperating witnesses who have pleaded guilty. Kasey “OTF Jam” Hester, one of the prosecution’s principal witnesses, testified that he was among the gunmen who shot at Bowman’s car.

Hester said the shooting occurred about six months after his release from prison for an attempted murder. He testified that, while driving with his wife, Anthony “OTF Boonie Mo” Jones called, instructing him to travel urgently to California. Hester said he placed the call on speakerphone and could hear Banks directing the trip on a separate line.

In response, Hester’s wife, Lashanta, took the stand for the defense and contradicted her husband’s account. She testified, “No, it didn’t happen,” when asked if Jones had called her in his presence offering a plane ticket. She also said she never heard Banks tell her husband to go to California.

Under cross‑examination, Lashanta was asked about gang affiliations of her family members. She declined to answer. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morse suggested she believed she should not testify. She replied, “I’m testifying for myself because my name was brought up.” She later confirmed contacting the defense to dispute her husband’s testimony, stating, “I never heard the [phone] conversation, sir, period.”

The defense also called Shekema Springfield, a U.S. Army officer who previously dated King Von and had a child with him. Springfield testified to rebut claims made by another government witness, Kavon “OTF Vonnie” Grant, who said he was Banks’ personal assistant when the shooting was planned. Grant denied being the plot’s architect, saying no one would follow his orders to send men across the country.

Grant testified that Banks directed him to obtain a stolen vehicle for the attack after learning Quando Rondo would be in Los Angeles. According to Grant, Banks instructed that Chicago associates fly to San Diego instead of Los Angeles to avoid detection.

Grant described the operation as “sloppy” and “rushed.” He said he was riding in a rented BMW that surveillance footage showed following Bowman’s car alongside the stolen white Infiniti used by the gunmen. After the shooting, the gunmen abandoned the Infiniti and entered the BMW with Grant. He drove the men to an In‑N‑Out restaurant, parked the BMW, and took an Uber to Banks’ rental home in Encino. There, Banks asked Grant, “Well, do you think that we got him?” Grant said Banks appeared “excited” and “joyful” when he later learned Robinson had been killed.

Banks, 33, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, stalking resulting in death, and murder for hire. Defense attorney Marissa Goldberg argued in opening statements that Grant, not Banks, organized the August 2022 plot. She portrayed Grant as “tight” with King Von and driven by revenge, while Banks channels his emotions into music.

Springfield testified that after King Von’s death she asked Grant what happened. He told her not to worry and that he would “take care of it.” When asked about Grant’s honesty, she described him as “a liar and a thief.”

Kevin Freeman, executive director of Banks’ nonprofit Neighborhood Heroes, testified that he was on a phone call with Banks the morning several suspects were arrested in connection with the alleged plot. Banks was taken into custody shortly thereafter near Miami International Airport. Freeman said a lawyer was also on the call and that no one had warned them of an arrest warrant. Fearing a raid that could traumatize his children, Freeman advised Banks to leave his home and “lay low.”

Among the final witnesses called by prosecutors before the government rested Thursday was FBI agent Conor Goepel, who testified that he tracked Banks to Signature Aviation, a private terminal at Miami International Airport, shortly before the arrest. Goepel said that when he ordered Banks out of a vehicle, another man exited and blocked the SUV as Banks’s car sped away. After backup arrived, Banks got out and told a companion, “Don’t say anything.” On cross‑examination, Goepel acknowledged that agents found no passports or fake IDs in the vehicle.

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