On day two of rapper Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire trial, prosecutors spent much of the afternoon focusing on the November 2020 killing of his late collaborator and Only the Family (OTF) member King Von.
FBI agent Jarron Farmby testified Tuesday (August 25) in a Los Angeles courtroom, breaking down conversations between the Chicago rapper and his longtime friend and business associate Jason Smith. The discussions centered around Von’s death, the aftermath, and moments where Durk referenced “get back.” Prosecutors presented the testimony as part of their argument that Durk orchestrated retaliatory violence that later resulted in a man’s death.
Beginning on November 6, 2020, after Von, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett, was fatally shot outside an Atlanta hookah lounge following a confrontation with Georgia rapper Quando Rondo, Durk, born Durk Banks, and Smith exchanged messages mourning the loss while reaffirming their bond.
In one message shown in court, the Grammy-winning rapper said he felt “dead inside” following Von’s death. Smith responded with a message of support, writing, “You [know] I’m [overprotective] of you at all [costs].” Hours after the shooting, Durk also sent Smith surveillance footage showing the altercation between Rondo and Von.
In the weeks following Von’s killing by Lul Timm, whose real name is Timothy Leeks and who was initially charged before the case was later dropped, prosecutors displayed messages they said showed Durk becoming increasingly upset over people publicly ridiculing his friend’s death.
After receiving a video of another rapper dissing King Von, Durk allegedly responded, “Just wait on the get back.”
“When I pop on I’m on n***as ass,” he continued.
In additional messages exchanged with Smith within a day of Von’s death, prosecutors said Durk expressed a desire to “go all out” for the late rapper and indicated he could not let his death “slide.” “Him dying turning me [into] a different animal,” he wrote.
Later in the afternoon, prosecutors presented evidence showing Smith sent Durk a news screenshot regarding the August 2022 murder of Rondo’s cousin Lul Pab, whose real name was Saviay’a Robinson. Smith also sent a video showing Rondo’s emotional reaction beside the Escalade where Pab was fatally shot, a moment that was later mocked online through what became known as the “Quando Rondo Challenge.”
Durk did not respond to those messages and changed his phone number two days later.
The defense pushed back against the government’s evidence, with attorney Brian Steel arguing that the alleged gang connections were “well beyond” what should be discussed during the trial. The attorney representing co-defendant OTF Dede, whose real name is Deandre Wilson, also challenged Farmby’s qualifications as an expert witness.
Earlier that day, jurors were shown evidence of people mocking Pab’s death on Instagram, including Dede allegedly responding with laughing emojis to a comment under the video showing Rondo reacting to Pab’s body.
The comment read: “Where y’all pipe was at gang?”
