Key Takeaways
- Brian Steel won an acquittal for Lil Durk on all five counts in his federal murder-for-hire trial, prompting fans to flood Complex's Instagram comments calling him the greatest lawyer of all time.
- Lil Durk, legally Durk Banks, had been accused of orchestrating a fatal 2022 shooting that killed Saviay'a "Lul Pab" Robinson, allegedly in retaliation for the 2020 killing of King Von.
- Brian Steel's closing argument attacked the credibility of cooperating witnesses, including Kacey "OTF Jam" Hester, and pointed to Kavon "OTF Vonnie" Grant as an alternate suspect.
- Despite the acquittal, Lil Durk remains behind bars, and his second trial on related racketeering charges is scheduled to begin October 5.
Brian Steel’s impressive resume continues to grow after a Los Angeles federal jury cleared his client Lil Durk on all five counts in his murder-for-hire trial.
As the renowned lawyer exited the court room on Friday night (Sept. 11), fans swarmed Steel and crowned him the “MVP” after he brought the Chicago rapper a huge legal win.
Steel’s fan club extended to the Internet. Even on Complex's socials, people took to the comments to congratulate the defense attorney.
"Steele got a legendary resume 😂 the amount of evidence was crazy," one commenter wrote.
Others went further. "Naaa Brian Steele gotta be the greatest lawyer of all time cos this is crazy," another said. "Everything pointed at him being guilty. Steele the GOAT Mehn."
The verdict landed on Friday after three days of deliberation. Jurors sent a note to the judge on Wednesday asking for evidence in digital form, then followed up Thursday with a question about the legal definition of "intent."
Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, had been accused of orchestrating a fatal 2022 shooting that killed Saviay'a "Lul Pab" Robinson, a cousin of Quando Rondo, allegedly in retaliation for the 2020 killing of King Von. Prosecutors alleged the rapper "had his shooters on speed dial."
Steel spent his closing argument dismantling the government's cooperating witnesses, telling jurors that Kacey "OTF Jam" Hester "is not human" and that the case was built on men who stood to gain from pointing at a star.
"They put a target on a human being," Steel said. "A celebrity human being. That's why you're here."
The defense also floated an alternate theory, naming cooperating witness Kavon "OTF Vonnie" Grant, King Von's cousin, as the actual mastermind.
Co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsay were convicted on stalking and stalking conspiracy charges and acquitted on the rest.
The acquittal does not open the door, though. Durk was ordered to remain behind bars, and his second trial on related racketeering charges is scheduled to begin Oct. 5.
