A striking moment unfolded in Lil Durk’s federal murder-for-hire trial as Keith “Flocka” Jones, an alleged participant in the 2022 shooting targeting rapper Quando Rondo, faced questions about his relationship with Durk and his claim that he was never paid.
Jones, who has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with federal prosecutors, has testified about the alleged operation that culminated in the shooting of Rondo in Los Angeles.
The attack left Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson, dead. Prosecutors allege the shooting was part of a revenge plot connected to the 2020 killing of Durk’s close associate King Von. Durk has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.
During testimony, Jones described an alleged financial expectation surrounding the attack.
Recent reporting from The Source says Jones testified that OTF associate Deandre “Dede” Wilson told him Durk was offering $1 million to anyone who could find and kill Quando Rondo.
Importantly, Jones did not testify that Durk personally made that offer to him; his account was based on what he said Wilson told him.
Jones also reportedly acknowledged that he ultimately was never paid the alleged bounty.
That testimony became particularly significant because the defense has repeatedly challenged the credibility and motives of cooperating witnesses.
Defense attorneys have argued that witnesses who have pleaded guilty have powerful incentives to shift blame toward Durk in exchange for favorable treatment.
The defense's questioning then turned to Jones' later conduct toward Durk.
According to the account circulating from the courtroom, Jones was confronted over the apparent contradiction between being upset about allegedly not receiving money from Durk and later purchasing six tickets for his family to attend a Lil Durk performance.
The question created an awkward moment: if Jones genuinely believed Durk had failed to pay him after the alleged shooting, why would he subsequently spend money to bring his family to see the rapper perform?
The defense apparently did not spend an extended period exploring the point. Instead, after putting the contradiction before the witness, the cross-examination ended at that point — leaving jurors to consider what significance, if any, the ticket purchase had.
The episode comes as prosecutors attempt to build their case around testimony from several cooperating witnesses, while Durk's lawyers have sought to undermine those witnesses by highlighting inconsistencies, unrecorded interviews and possible incentives to cooperate.
Earlier testimony has placed Jones among the men who allegedly traveled from Chicago to California after being told that Rondo was in Los Angeles. Prosecutors say Jones and other alleged shooters tracked Rondo before the August 19, 2022 attack near the Beverly Center. Rondo survived, but Robinson was killed.
The prosecution has also presented evidence alleging that OTF-linked funds were used to facilitate travel and other logistics connected to the operation. Federal prosecutors previously alleged that tickets and other expenses were paid using cards associated with Durk's organization.
But the defense maintains that the government's cooperating witnesses are unreliable and that their stories have evolved over time.
That battle over credibility could prove crucial.