Five people in Chicago have been hit with federal charges in California alleging they were contracted to kill rapper Quando Rando in Los Angeles due to his suspected involvement in the 2020 slaying of rival artist King Von.
Charged in the indictment, which was unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, are: Kavon London Grant; Deandre Dontrell Wilson; Keith Jones; David Brian Lindsey; and Asa Houston.
The charges include conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, committing murder-for-hire involving a death, and use of a machine gun in a violent crime resulting in death. The most serious charge carries up to the death penalty if convicted.
The indictment alleges that all five have ties to “Only the Family,” also known as OTF, a hip-hop collective founded by South Side rapper Lil Durk, a mentor of King Von. The flights and rental cars were paid for with credit cards linked to OTF, according to prosecutors.
Two of those charged are Chicago street gang members, according to authorities.
All five were arrested Thursday in the Chicago area and appeared at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in the afternoon. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert ordered the defendants held in custody pending further proceedings and the shift of the case to Los Angeles.
The charges mark the latest fallout from the high-profile killing of King Von, 26, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett, in a fight outside an Atlanta hookah lounge on Nov. 6, 2020.
The indictment alleged that after King Von’s slaying, an unnamed co-conspirator who is part of OTF offered money and “lucrative music opportunities” to anyone who would kill Quando Rondo, a Georgia-based rapper whose real name is Tyquian Terrel Bowman.
Bowman, his sister, and his cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, 24, were riding in Bowman’s black Cadillac Escalade near a gas station in West Hollywood in August 2022 when gunmen opened fire, according to the charges.
Bowman and his sister were uninjured, but Robinson was struck multiple times and killed.
OTF was founded by Lil Durk more than a decade ago as Chicago’s drill rap scene was gaining international attention. Federal prosecutors say the group primarily “produced and sold hip hop music” from artists from Chicago.
FBG Duck, the Chicago drill rapper, was killed in a hail of gunfire on Oak Street in 2020, and his death led to the convictions of several men in a federal conspiracy trial last January. Earlier this month, FBG Duck’s mother filed a lawsuit alleging Lil Durk, OTF and King Von were involved in the shooting, as well. The lawsuit alleges that OTF operates as a criminal enterprise.
Lil Durk is among the most successful drill rappers to come out of Chicago since the genre first gained a foothold. Also popularized by Chief Keef, G Herbo and other artists, drill is hallmarked by hyper-violent lyrics that often revolve around — and sometimes worsen — feuds between gang factions.
Still images from security footage allegedly show several men from Chicago attempting to carry out a murder-for-hire plot at a gas station in Los Angeles in 2022. Federal prosecutors in California allege five men with ties to Chicago attempted to carry out a murder-for-hire plot in retaliation for the 2020 fatal shooting of Chicago rapper King Von in Atlanta. (U.S. District Court)
According to the indictment, after tracking Bowman to the Los Angeles area, Grant rented a hotel room for the co-conspirators on Aug. 18, 2022, and later met them there. He brought several firearms, including one that had been modified to operate as a fully automatic machine gun.
Grant also provided two rented vehicles to “use to find, track, and kill” Bowman, the indictment stated, a white BMW sedan and a white Infiniti. The group followed and tracked Bowman’s black Escalade from his hotel to a marijuana dispensary and then a clothing store in downtown Los Angeles, the indictment stated.
A surveillance image included in the indictment allegedly shows the BMW and Infiniti following the Escalade as it traveled between stores.
When Bowman stopped at a gas station, Houston drove around to the alley and let Jones and Lindsey and another unidentified co-conspirator out to carry out the shooting, according to the indictment.
Surveillance video allegedly captured the three aiming their firearms and shooting Bowman’s car, striking and killing Robinson, who was standing outside the Escalade.
After fleeing the scene, the defendants and the co-conspirator went to a hamburger restaurant in Los Angeles County, where they discussed payment for the shooting, according to the indictment.
Wilson, Jones, Lindsey and Houston flew back to Chicago from San Diego the next day, the charges alleged.
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