‘Durk told us to’: key witness takes stand in rapper’s murder-for-hire trial

Two cooperating witnesses testified in the trial Monday: Keith Jones and Durk's former personal assistant, Kavon Grant, whom Durk blames for the 2022 shooting.LOS ANGELES (CN) — A key witness took the stand Monday in Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk’s federal murder-for-hire trial.Kavon Grant worked as Durk’s personal assistant and has admitted to playing a key role in the plot to kill Quando Rondo, another rapper and gang rival of Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Banks. When asked who else was involved in the shooting, Grant responded: Banks and his two co-defendants, David Lindsey and Deondre Wilson. All three are charged with murder-for-hire and stalking, among other charges.When asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Yanniello why they tried to kill Rondo, Grant replied: “Durk told us to.”Three masked shooters sprayed Rondo’s car with bullets in 2022, at a West Hollywood gas station. They missed their target but hit his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, killing him. In their opening statement, Banks’ attorney said Grant had organized and masterminded the shooting. That puts Grant at the center of the trial, and the verdict will likely swing on whether or not the jury believes him.Banks’ record label was named OTF, which stands for Only the Family. Prosecutors say there was also a criminal street gang called OTF, that revolved around Banks.“Would OTF members travel to California to commit murder because you told them to?” Yanniello asked Grant.“No,” Grant responded.Nearly everyone agrees that the attempt on Rondo’s life was retribution for another killing, that of rapper King Von, in 2020. An up-and-coming rapper in Chicago, signed to the OTF record label, Von attacked Quando Rondo one night in Atlanta and was shot by Rondo’s cousin, Timothy Leeks. King Von was close friends with both Banks and Grant. Hundreds of hip-hop fans urged Banks to “slide for Von” — that is, to avenge the death of the popular rapper. Banks even recorded a song, at one point, in which he raps, “We gettin’ it done … Fuck tweetin’, we slidin’.” Prosecutors say Banks effectively offered up a bounty to anyone who killed Rondo and grew frustrated when none of the gang members in his orbit took it upon themselves to do so.Grant only testified for 30 minutes. Much of the day was taken up by the testimony of another cooperating witness, Keith Jones, 35, who was one of the three shooters who killed Robinson. When he received a phone call asking him to travel to Los Angeles in order to shoot Rondo, Jones says he was told, “Bro got a million for us.” Jones said the message was clear: “bro” was Durk.“He’s the only person around with a million dollars,” Jones told the jury.“Would you fly to LA for free?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Weiner asked.“No,” Jones said. “I would be risking my freedom for free.”However, Jones said he never was paid — despite asking numerous times. He was never close with Banks and didn’t have his phone number. But he saw him after a concert, Jones recalled from the stand.“I asked him, ‘Will you still look out for me for the LA shooting?’” Jones said.“I got you, but you shoulda got up close on him,” Banks replied, according to Jones, who said the rapper then smiled and made the shape of a gun with his fingers.Another night, Jones said, he approached Banks again, asking for the money. This time, Banks told him he didn’t want to be seen handing a large amount of money to him. Banks said one of his OTF associates, Bonnie Mo, would pay Jones.Later, Jones testified, Bonnie Mo came up to him and said: “I’m gonna give you ten in a couple days.” By ten, he meant ten thousand dollars — a far cry from a million. “I’m like, ten?” He added: “I was surprised, kinda pissed.” Jones never received that payment. “I asked five or six times. There was always some excuse,” he said.Under cross-examination by Banks’ attorney, Drew Findling, Jones admitted that when he was first interviewed by law enforcement, he denied Banks’ involvement and said Grant was the leader of the operation. Jones said he was lying during that first interview.Findling played a video of a second encounter with FBI agents, in which one detective told Jones he was facing life in prison without the possibility of parole and would never see his kids again if he was convicted of the shooting. Later in the video, Jones began crying.When asked why his story changed so dramatically after that first interview, especially in regards to Banks’ role in the shooting, Jones said: “A lot of things changed. I got sleep. I had time to think.”“So you could change your story,” offered Wilson’s attorney, Craig Harbaugh.“So I could tell the truth,” Jones insisted.“Does your memory improve over time?” Harbaugh asked.“No,” Jones replied with a wry smile.Grant will return to the witness stand Tuesday morning. The trial is expected to wrap up sometime toward the end of this week, or just after Labor Day weekend.Categories / Arts, CriminalSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads