Attorney Bradford Cohen says Grammy Award winning rapper Lil Durk has a “very good chance” of beating the federal murder-for-hire case against him, as the Grammy-winning artist heads to trial after nearly two years in custody.
Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, is set to stand trial on federal charges stemming from an August 2022 shooting in Los Angeles that prosecutors allege was a murder-for-hire plot targeting rapper Quando Rondo, whose legal name is Tyquian Bowman. Bowman survived the shooting, but his cousin, Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, was killed.
Banks has pleaded not guilty and has consistently denied prosecutors’ allegations.
Ahead of the trial, Cohen, a criminal defense attorney who has represented several high-profile entertainers, offered his assessment of the government’s case in a post on X.
“I think this is going to be an interesting case to watch,” Cohen wrote. “I do not believe the government has a great case for murder for hire and that is why they are leaning into gangs and more of a RICO type situation.”
Cohen also pointed to the court’s decision to separate some of the government’s allegations and charges from the current proceeding.
“Which the Judge already ruled is bifurcated,” he continued. “This case has appeal written all over it depending on how this evidence comes in…and that is only if they lose, which I believe they have a very good chance of winning.”
Cohen is not listed as Banks’ attorney in the case, and his comments represent his outside legal assessment rather than the position of Durk’s defense team.
Judge Rules on Evidence
The comments come as the federal judge overseeing the case has issued a series of rulings determining what jurors will be permitted to see and hear during the trial.
According to a court order shared online, evidence approved for admission includes a 911 call made on August 19, 2022, by an unidentified witness to the shooting, an excerpt of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department body-camera footage from the crime scene, non-graphic screenshots from additional body-camera footage and TMZ footage of a witness’s reaction.
The court also ruled that only one of four proposed autopsy photographs of Robinson may be admitted.
An excerpt of messages between Banks and an individual identified as “CC-3” relating to a screenshot of an Instagram post was also admitted. An excerpt of messages between Banks and another individual, identified as “CC-5,” concerning a Breezy interview was ruled moot.
The evidentiary rulings could prove significant in a case expected to rely heavily on prosecutors connecting communications, travel records, video footage and other circumstantial evidence to their theory that Banks ordered the attack.
The Government’s Case
Banks was arrested in October 2024 after federal authorities accused him of placing a bounty on Bowman and orchestrating the 2022 attack.
Prosecutors allege the shooting was retaliation for the November 2020 killing of Banks’ close friend and fellow Chicago rapper King Von, whose legal name was Dayvon Bennett. Bennett was killed during an altercation outside an Atlanta nightclub involving members of Bowman’s entourage.
Federal prosecutors allege Banks and his associates later conspired to locate and kill Bowman.
According to the government, alleged conspirators followed Bowman in Los Angeles before gunmen opened fire on his vehicle near the Beverly Center area on August 19, 2022. Robinson was fatally wounded while Bowman survived.
Prosecutors have cited text messages, travel records, credit-card transactions and surveillance footage as evidence supporting their allegations.
Among the communications highlighted by prosecutors is a message they attribute to Banks instructing associates not to book flights using names connected to him.
Banks’ attorneys have disputed the government’s interpretation of the evidence and maintain their client did not orchestrate the shooting.
Gang and Racketeering Allegations
The scope of the prosecution expanded substantially after Banks was initially charged.
A superseding indictment added allegations involving what prosecutors describe as the “Banks Gang Enterprise,” along with a murder-in-aid-of-racketeering charge and allegations connecting Banks to other violent incidents.
However, Banks’ attorneys challenged the expanded case, arguing that introducing sweeping new allegations shortly before trial would unfairly prejudice their client.
The judge subsequently severed the newer allegations,
