Chicago rapper King Von was killed in front of the Monaco Hookah Lounge in Atlanta, Georgia on Nov. 6, 2020, after his entourage got into an altercation with that of fellow rapper Quando Rondo’s. Lul Tim, who was there that night, was arrested for Von’s murder the following day. Now the charges against him have reportedly been dropped.
When he was initially arrested, Tim posted bond in April of the following year. Still, he was expected to face trial for the murder felony. But on Aug. 20, 2023, the rapper’s attorney Noah Pines unexpectedly released a statement revealing that all of his charges had been dismissed. “The case against Mr. Leeks was dismissed prior to ever being indicted," the statement said. This means that Leeks appears to be cleared on the murder charge and will no longer face trial.
It now appears that the ongoing saga involving King Von’s murder is at a standstill after the state of Georgia closed the case following Tim’s arrest in 2020. Here’s everything to know about the rapper’s involvement in the case up to this point.
Who is Lul Tim?
Lul Tim was a lesser-known rapper prior to his altercation with King Von, responsible for songs like “Off The List.” The 24-year-old was charged with the murder of Chicago rapper King Von in November 2020. Tim, born Timothy Leeks, was arrested the day after Von was killed in an altercation involving himself, Leeks, and Quando Rondo’s teams that left three individuals shot. Leeks was able to post his $100,000 bond in 2021 despite being charged with one count of murder. Murder is a “non-bondable” offense in the state of Georgia, but Leeks was able to appeal his case to the Superior Court and be granted the option of bond. Police initially closed Von’s murder case shortly after arresting Leeks in 2020.
What does it mean that the charges were dropped?
On Aug. 21, 2023, Lul Tim’s attorney Noah Pines revealed that the felony murder charges against the rapper had been dropped. Prior to this development, Tim was still preparing to go to trial for the 2020 murder of King Von despite posting bond in 2021. Prosecutors reportedly now believe that Von was killed in an act of self-defense. Complex’s in-house attorney Syed Haseeb Hussain added more context to the dropped charges.
“Lul Tim's attorney reports to XXL that his felony murder charges were dropped,” he says. “This does not mean that Lul Tim was found innocent or that he beat the case (as Lul Tim might imply in his new song titled ‘Left a Stain’), nor was there a definitive finding of ‘not guilty.’”
Who are the remaining suspects in King Von’s murder case?
At time of publication, there are no other known suspects in the death of King Von. Following the news of Tim’s charge being dropped, Von’s girlfriend, Asian Doll, responded in a since-deleted tweet saying, “Because the police said Tim ain't kill him the police did." In a 2021 interview with Angela Yee, Quando Rondo said that he and his team were acting in self-defense the night of the altercation. “I’m thinking these were some regular individuals,” he said at the time. “So I’m letting this group come by. Next thing you know, a nigg* hit me. Boom bow. I lie to you not. It’s like I had an out-of-body experience.”
What happens next?
This could likely be the end of the ongoing saga involving the murder of King Von, especially considering authorities closed the case in 2020 following the arrest of Lul Tim. In the hours that have passed since Tim’s charges were dropped, the rapper released a song and music video called “Left a Stain” where he raps about the verdict of the case. "Just got a collect call from new Pluto yesterday/He said he on the way/We steady catchin' plays/I told him ’bout my good news, I'm ’bout to beat this case/I really came from the bottom/Feelin' like I'm Drake," Tim raps.
“When prosecutors decide to drop charges, it's not to say that they are convinced of the defendant's innocence, rather that there is not enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to convict,” Hussain adds. “Here, there are reports that prosecutors believe this to be a case of self-defense, and thus reportedly decided to drop the charges.”
