Lil Durk’s co-defendants are trying to convince a federal judge that a deadly assassination attempt does not automatically qualify as stalking, but prosecutors say their own actions during the alleged plot to kill Quando Rondo tell a different story.
Deandre “OTF Dede” Wilson and David “Browneyez” Lindsey are asking U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald to overturn their three stalking convictions or grant them a new trial. Their defense centers partly on the argument that Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, who was killed during the August 2022 attack, was never the intended target.
However, federal prosecutors aren’t buying that explanation. In a 31-page response filed October 14, they urged the judge to reject both men’s requests, arguing that the evidence established a coordinated operation that placed everyone traveling with Quando Rondo in danger.
According to court documents reported by AllHipHop, the government maintains that the stalking convictions are legally sound, even though the defendants were acquitted of murder-for-hire charges in September.
Robinson, 24, was killed on August 19, 2022, when gunmen opened fire on a black Cadillac Escalade occupied by Quando Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Bowman, and members of his entourage near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles.
The shooting was allegedly part of a retaliation plot connected to the November 2020 killing of Chicago rapper King Von, a close friend of Lil Durk.
Wilson and Lindsey’s attorneys argue that the evidence showed Bowman was the intended target, not Robinson. They also contend that prosecutors failed to establish a legally sufficient pattern of stalking.
Prosecutors summarized their challenge in the latest filing.
“The evidence at trial proved defendants and their conspirators traveled to California to kill [Tyquian] Bowman [Quando Rondo],” the documents state.
“Defendants Wilson and Lindsey filed post-trial motions that primarily argue their convictions should be reversed or a new trial should be granted.”
According to prosecutors, the defense claims that “the stalking victims did not know all of the actions the defendants took to hunt and kill the victim, and thus the defendants claim the government did not prove a ‘course of conduct’ within the meaning of the stalking statute.”
Attorneys also challenged whether the victims “feared for their lives and/or suffered substantial emotional distress.”
The government described those arguments as “meritless for multiple reasons.”
Prosecutors contend that the defendants’ position that their “premeditated… stalking and murder scheme is not covered by the federal stalking statute” actually “ignores the plain text of the statute.”
Federal stalking law does not necessarily require victims to know they are being followed. Prosecutors say the repeated actions taken to locate, track, and ultimately attack Bowman satisfy the legal requirements.
They maintain that the “multi-day stalking and murder scheme that caused Mr. Robinson’s death and severe emotional distress to Bowman clearly falls within the scope of the statute.”
Prosecutors presented Wilson as an important figure in the alleged operation, while Lindsey was identified by cooperating witnesses as one of the gunmen.
During the August trial, Kacey “OTF Jam” Hester testified that Wilson was involved in communications surrounding the alleged plan. Hester described traveling from San Diego toward Los Angeles with other participants and said Wilson communicated with Durk during that journey.
According to testimony, Wilson referred to Lindsey and Keith “Flacka” Jones as “Navy SEALs,” a description that highlighted their alleged roles in carrying out the attack.
Hester also described the group obtaining firearms, gloves, and dark clothing before attempting to locate Bowman. The initial plan to confront the rapper outside a hotel was allegedly abandoned because police were nearby.
Lindsey’s alleged role was more direct. Hester identified him as a shooter who opened fire during the confrontation at the gas station. Hester and Jones also admitted participating in the shooting and later testified as cooperating government witnesses.
Wilson and Lindsey have challenged the government’s interpretation of the evidence and the legal basis for their convictions.
The government’s latest response also challenges the defense’s position that Robinson could not have been a stalking victim simply because the group allegedly intended to kill Bowman.
Prosecutors argue that the conspirators knew other people were inside Bowman’s vehicle when the attack occurred.
They pointed to a 911 call as evidence of the “emotional impact of the shooting.”
Additionally, prosecutors argued that “a reasonable jury could—and did—find that the conspirators intended to stalk Mr. Robinson in addition to Bowman.”
That distinction matters because one of Wilson and Lindsey’s convictions involves stalking resulting in death, an offense that carries a potential life sentence.
The government wants Fitzgerald to deny both defendants’ requests for acquittal or a new trial, preserving all three stalking convictions.
Their September 11 verdict was mixed. Jurors cleared Wilson and Lindsey of two murder-for-hire charges but convicted each man of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon, and stalking resulting in death.
Durk was acquitted of all five charges in that trial. However, he remains detained while awaiting a separate proceeding involving murder-related racketeering and firearms charges.
Lindsey’s post-trial motion is scheduled for an October 28 hearing, while Durk has a bond hearing set for November 4. His second trial is currently scheduled for August 30, 2027.
For Wilson and Lindsey, the immediate issue is whether the convictions can survive their legal challenges. Neither man has been sentenced to life in prison, and the judge has not yet ruled on their requests.
The upcoming decision will determine whether their efforts to separate Robinson’s death from the stalking allegations succeed or whether the guilty verdicts remain intact, leaving both men facing potentially severe prison sentences.
