{"id":1038949,"date":"2026-09-02T13:52:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T13:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1038949\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T13:52:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T13:52:29","slug":"bodyguards-celebrities-tourists-rapper-lil-durks-very-l-a-murder-for-hire-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1038949\/","title":{"rendered":"Bodyguards, celebrities, tourists: Rapper Lil Durk’s ‘very L.A.’ murder-for-hire trial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kyiesha Moncrieffe wanted to experience the heart of Los Angeles. So the tourist visiting from England went to Erewhon, famous for its pricey smoothie once named for Hailey Bieber, a model and celebrity wife.<\/p>\n

She went to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where cosplay characters strutted in the oppressive heat. To Santa Monica beach, where tourists and residents alike sought to cool down in the ocean.<\/p>\n

Then, she headed to 1st Street for a look at the clash of justice and celebrity at the ongoing murder-for-hire trial of Chicago rapper Durk Banks<\/a> \u2014 better known as Lil Durk.<\/p>\n

\"British <\/p>\n

British internet personality KingAR4 shows off his support of Lil Durk.<\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to come and get the facts of it,\u201d said Moncrieffe, who has been following Banks\u2019 music \u201csince before he got famous.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would be hard to find a more L.A. scene than the one playing out downtown in the normally staid Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, was warned by a court security officer to lose the dark glasses. Where rapper MGK, best known as Machine Gun Kelly, set off a hand-held metal detector with his chain. Where line sitters were paid to try to secure Banks\u2019 own family one of the most desirable seats in town.<\/p>\n

But for all the spectacle says about L.A., the issue at the trial\u2019s heart is a somber one.<\/p>\n

It centers on the killing of 24-year-old Saviay\u2019a Robinson<\/a> who was stopped at a gas station near the bustling Beverly Center<\/a> on a summer day in 2022. Three shooters unloaded 18 rounds at the black Escalade in which Robinson rode with his cousin and the intended target \u2014 Tyquian Bowman, a rapper known as Quando Rondo.<\/p>\n

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that the 2022 shooting that ended in Robinson\u2019s death centered on revenge for the killing of Dayvon Bennett, a rising rapper known as King Von, two years earlier and 2,000 miles away.<\/p>\n

The twisted tale<\/a> involves a cadre of rappers and hangers-on, shootings in separate states, two deaths and various acts of betrayal. <\/p>\n

Bennett had gotten into a fistfight with Bowman outside an Atlanta hookah lounge and was fatally shot by someone in Bowman\u2019s entourage.<\/p>\n

\"Ceddy <\/p>\n

Ceddy Nash is interviewed outside federal court in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

But where each side diverges is on who was seeking revenge, an act that resulted in the death of an unintended victim \u2014 Robinson \u2014 instead of Bowman.<\/p>\n

In front of a packed courtroom<\/a> on Aug. 24, prosecutors told jurors that Banks had been \u201cconsumed with revenge,\u201d after the death of Bennett, a close friend and member of his Only The Family hip-hop collective. Banks \u201cused his wealth and used his purse strings\u201d to have hit men settle the score, said Asst. U.S. Atty. Daniel Weiner.<\/p>\n

Seven people, including Banks, were charged in connection with Robinson\u2019s killing. Banks, 33, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire. He and two others are currently on trial.<\/p>\n

Three others have reached plea deals and agreed to testify for the government, including Banks\u2019 former personal assistant Kavon Grant, who has since turned on his boss.<\/p>\n

Defense attorney Marissa Goldberg told jurors that Banks wasn\u2019t involved in the planned hit on Bowman but rather it was Grant who was seeking revenge for the death of his cousin, Bennett. It was Grant, Goldberg told jurors, who frantically drove Bennett to an Atlanta hospital as he bled out in the back of his Dodge Hellcat in 2020. <\/p>\n

Grant, Goldberg said, was the one who secured the cars, the hotel accommodations and even the ski masks to carry out the plot to kill Bowman in L.A. After the authorities homed in on Grant, Goldberg said, \u201ca light bulb\u201d went off in his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe thought, \u2018Oh, man, I got an insurance policy. I got a big fish I can give them, so they won\u2019t look at all of these things that I did,\u2019\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\"Lil <\/p>\n

Lil Durk\u2019s wife, India Royale, leaves the courtroom. <\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Banks is a performer. He\u2019s won a Grammy. But there is one individual who has been practicing to take the stand for a long time. He\u2019s practicing his performance. He\u2019s hoping he gets an Oscar,\u201d Goldberg added. \u201cMr. Banks is a performer, he is a celebrity, but as he sits here today, he\u2019s a 33-year-old young man in a very, very serious situation. This is not a performance. This is not a show. This is reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite those words, the trial on the 10th floor of the courthouse has played out like a spectator event since it began with jury selection on Aug. 20. <\/p>\n

Court security officers have grappled with dozens of people trying to secure a seat inside 10C. A couple of officers \u2014 who have seen people flock to the courthouse for proceedings involving Vanessa Bryant and former L.A. City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas \u2014 remarked that they\u2019ve never seen such a circus in the courthouse.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d one observed.<\/p>\n

At least three people, including Robinson\u2019s mom and Banks\u2019 wife, have bodyguards in tow, some of them hulking and one with a tattooed head that bears the letters SOG, to signify \u201cSon of God.\u201d There are content creators, who report trial updates through social media videos, including on TikTok and YouTube, racking up hundreds of thousands of views.<\/p>\n

More than 50 people pack the gallery most days, with even more seated in an overflow room. At one point, the video feed in the overflow room was shut down after someone violated the court rules and snapped pictures of a cooperating witness testifying that later circulated on social media.<\/p>\n

Before entering 10C, everyone\u2019s phones are locked away in a phone pouch that can be opened only by courthouse staff. All trial watchers are wanded by a metal detector to ensure they\u2019re carrying no other electronics. <\/p>\n

Among those who have been wanded is MGK. He squeezed onto a hard bench in the second row with Banks\u2019 family as a detective testified.<\/p>\n

\u201cthis been my bro for a decade when he called and asked if id pull up and support im there no question,\u201d the rapper later posted on X<\/a>. \u201cfree durk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Days later, the courtroom gallery was abuzz when Ye slid into the second row, while one of the shooters, who has pleaded guilty, testified for the government. A security officer approached Ye to tell him to remove his black sunglasses. The rapper\u2019s all-black outfit was allowed, but his shades violated court etiquette.<\/p>\n

That afternoon, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald acknowledged the chaos unfolding outside his courtroom. In order to keep most of the seats available for the public, Fitzgerald limited how many of the defendants\u2019 family members would get secured seats to 15 people.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise, it\u2019s going to be first come, first serve,\u201d Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n

The following day, hopeful spectators arrived as soon as the courthouse opened at 7 a.m. Within half an hour, the line quickly grew to 35 people. Kamar Fields was #3. <\/p>\n

The 23-year-old has been driving up from San Diego to support Banks at court hearings even before the trial began. Like Banks, Fields said he is also Muslim and wants to be there for support. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been listening to his music since I was young,\u201d Fields said.<\/p>\n

\"Joshua <\/p>\n

Joshua Kellogg from Antioch, Calif., shows his support outside the courthouse. <\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

A few people behind him was Oscar Garcia, who had been paid to line-sit for Banks\u2019 family. Garcia, 23, declined to share how much he was paid. After a court security officer told him that he and another line sitter couldn\u2019t swap places, the pair decided to head in anyway and see the spectacle for themselves. <\/p>\n

Even farther back was Brandon Santiago, 29, who was visiting from New York for a wedding. Santiago said he\u2019s a fan of Banks\u2019 music and came early to try to secure a seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is kind of my first courtroom experience,\u201d said Santiago, who wore a shirt featuring rapper Max B.<\/p>\n

Santiago\u2019s hope, he said, is that \u201cwe just get to the truth of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other motivations extended beyond just fandom. Shayna Brooks, 29, said she is currently in law school. She hopes to one day work as a public defender and wanted to see Banks\u2019 defense in action.<\/p>\n

Banks\u2019 legal team includes Brian Steel, who has represented defendants like Young Thug and Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs, and Drew Findling, who has represented Cardi B and Lil Baby. Brooks referred to the lawyers as \u201cliving legends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Durk is one of my favorite rappers, so this is mandatory,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cI had to come, especially when it\u2019s being tried in L.A. I want to learn about the case, I also want to learn how to be a good lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around 8 a.m., the line had swelled past 50 people and spectators began heading into the courtroom. Garcia joined Fields in the back row, watching as Steel cross-examined Kacey Hester, also known as OTF Jam, one of the admitted shooters.<\/p>\n

Steel grilled Hester about breaking the rules to communicate with Grant, the other cooperating witness, while the two were locked up. Banks, dressed in a blue suit and tie, swiveled back and forth watching his lawyer and Hester, like watching a tennis match.<\/p>\n

Steel made the point several times that Grant handled the L.A. trip logistics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not his fault. It\u2019s Durk\u2019s fault. Durk put us in the situation, not him,\u201d Hester testified. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t the mastermind behind this … he was following orders just like everybody else was.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a break outside the courtroom, Garcia, who is studying for his master\u2019s degree in public relations, confessed he had \u201cno idea what anybody\u2019s talking about.\u201d But he said he could feel the passion in the room and how \u201cpeople are really invested.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very L.A.,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve never experienced people wanting to get into a courtroom so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kyiesha Moncrieffe wanted to experience the heart of Los Angeles. So the tourist visiting from England went to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1038950,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[27227,1582,276,435,38914,258351,415644,4446,195,6139,2961,224,5337,415645,3546,74258,38520,11246,12433,415643],"class_list":["post-1038949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-bank","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-celebrity","tag-courthouse","tag-courtroom-gallery","tag-dayvon-bennett","tag-death","tag-goldberg","tag-grant","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-mr-banks","tag-people","tag-rapper","tag-revenge","tag-robinson","tag-trial","tag-tyquian-bowman"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117201781425077242","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1038949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1038950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1038949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1038949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1038949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}