(WGHP) — A popular Chicago rapper has been arrested in Florida and charged with murder for hire.
According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, 32-year-old Durk Devontay Banks, of Chicago, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service and charged Thursday with murder for hire. He was being held without bond pending trial.
The name, birthdate and height of the person listed in the Broward County Sheriff’s Office’s records match that of rapper Lil Durk, according to Banks’ artist profile on the music and entertainment publication Billboard.
The mugshot of Banks also features a neck tattoo with the word “Blessed,” which matches the tattoo that Lil Durk has.
Lil Durk is the founder of the hip-hop group Only The Family, or OTF, which mostly features artists such as the late Dayvon Bennett, better known as King Von.
The group performs drill music, a subgenre of hip-hop known for its themes of gang violence and lyrics that often blur the line between entertainment and real-life accounts of criminal activities.
King Von was shot and killed on Nov. 6, 2020, after getting into a physical altercation with Tyquian Bowman, better known as the rapper Quando Rondo.
Before Banks was arrested Thursday, it was announced that five people affiliated with OTF were indicted in a conspiracy to commit murder for hire in California in retaliation for the death of King Von.
OTF affiliates indicted in murder-for-hire conspiracy
In June 2024, a grand jury convened and indicted five men. The charges were conspiracy and use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death; use, carry and discharge of firearm and machinegun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death, and possession of a machinegun.
Those five men are Kavon London Grant, aka “Cuz,” aka “Vonnie”; Deandre Dontrell Wilson, aka “Dede”; Keith Jones, aka “Flacka”; David Brian Lindsey, aka “Browneyez,” and Asa Houston, aka “Boogie.”
The indictment was filed on Oct. 17, 2024. It says that all five defendants as well as five others listed as “Co-Conspirators 1-5” were “members or associates” of OTF.
After King Von, referred to in the indictment by his initials “D.B.,” was killed by an associate of Quando Rondo, referred to by his initials “T.B.,” on Nov. 6, 2020, the indictment alleges that Co-Conspirator 1 “made clear in, coded language, that Co-Conspirator 1 would pay a bounty or monetary reward, and/or make payment to anyone who took part in killing [Quando Rondo] for his role in [King Von’s] murder.”
It should be noted that Quando Rondo was never legally charged in connection with the killing of King Von and that King Von was shot by an associate of Quando Rondo during the physical confrontation, not Quando Rondo himself.
On Aug. 18, 2022, the conspirators allegedly learned that Quando Rondo was staying at a hotel in Los Angeles. After learning this, Wilson, Jones, Lindsey, Houston and Co-Conspirator 2 traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles “for the purpose of murdering [Quando Rondo].” Grant also traveled to Los Angeles on Aug. 18, 2022, by private jet.
On Aug. 19, 2022, Grant, Wilson, Jones, Lindsey, Houston and Co-Conspirator 2 are accused of using “two vehicles to track, talk and attempt to kill [Quando Rondo] by gunfire — including with a fully automatic firearm— resulting in the death of S.R.”
S.R. refers to Saviay’a Robinson, better known as Lul Pab, a cousin of Quando Rondo.
The indictment alleges that the five defendants and the co-conspirators “conspired and agreed with each other to knowingly use facilities of the interstate and foreign commerce, namely airplanes, cars, cell phones and the internet, with intent to murder [Quando Rondo].”
Those involved are accused of attempting to kill Quando Rondo “for a promise and agreement to pay, anything of pecuniary value, namely, money and lucrative music opportunities with OTF.”
Allegedly, “Co-Conspirator 1 would place bounties on individuals that Co-Conspirator 1 and other OTF members wanted to find, track and kill, including [Quando Rondo].”
Grant is accused of procuring “cars, ski masks and firearms that would be used by co-conspirators to find, track and kill [Quando Rondo].”
Co-Conspirator 3 allegedly used a credit card affiliated with OTF to buy the plane tickets used to fly the conspirators to California to track down and kill Quando Rondo.
Using the cars that Grant allegedly procured, Wilson, Jones, Lindsey, Houston, Co-Conspirator 2 and Grant are accused of traveling around Los Angeles in search of Quando Rondo.
Once Quando Rondo was found, Jones, Lindsey and Co-Conspirator 2, “would fire multiple shots at [Quando Rondo], killing [Lul Pab], who was a passenger inside [Quando Rondo’s] vehicle,” according to the indictment.
Wilson is accused of paying the bounty or monetary award and/or cause payment “for the killing of [Lul Pab] on behalf of co-conspirators known and unknown, to the conspirators hired to kill [Quando Rondo].”
You can read the indictment in full below:
It has not been confirmed whether or not Lil Durk’s arrest for murder for hire is connected to the indictment.