Meek Mill renewed his public support for Lil Durk as a Los Angeles federal jury deliberates charges tied to an alleged plot targeting rapper Quando Rondo.
Meek Mill’s latest comments focused less on the legal allegations and more on the environment in which Durk grew up.
In a Sept. 4 post on X, Mill described Durk as an “innocent kid from Chicago” and referenced childhood activities including playing Sega, drawing and watching The Lion King.
The post drew mixed reactions. Some users agreed with Mill’s defense of Durk, while others questioned whether childhood experiences were relevant to determining the rapper’s responsibility as an adult.
One response argued that Mill’s message should have stopped at “Free Durk” and challenged the broader claims about accountability and culture.
The legal case concerns the 2022 shooting that killed Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, a cousin of Quando Rondo.
Prosecutors allege Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, helped finance and direct an attack targeting Rondo as part of an alleged retaliation campaign connected to the 2020 killing of King Von. Rondo survived the shooting.
Durk has pleaded not guilty. The charges before the Los Angeles jury involve an alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy, stalking-related conduct and the use of interstate facilities connected to the alleged scheme.
The government’s case included testimony from cooperating witnesses Kavon Grant, Kacey Hester and Keith Jones. Hester, also known as OTF Jam, testified about an alleged statement by Durk concerning Rondo and another person.
Durk’s attorneys challenged the government’s interpretation of that testimony and argued that prosecutors had not shown evidence that Durk paid anyone to carry out a killing.
The defense also maintained that associations with individuals connected to the shooting did not establish that Durk ordered or financed the attack.
A major issue involves the Pinkerton doctrine, which can make a conspirator legally responsible for another participant’s offense when the offense advances the conspiracy and was reasonably foreseeable.
Prosecutors argue that principle could apply if jurors conclude Durk joined a plot targeting Rondo; the defense disputes that interpretation.
Prosecutors rested their case Sept. 3, while the defense presented nine witnesses before resting. Durk did not testify. The jury began deliberating Sept. 9, and no verdict had been announced as of the latest information provided.
Meek Mill has also criticized prosecution witness OTF Jam publicly, calling him “the definition of a heathen” and saying he would not believe his testimony.
