LOS ANGELES — 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.

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.

Then, she headed to downtown L.A.'s First Street for a look at the clash of justice and celebrity at the ongoing murder-for-hire trial of Chicago rapper Durk Banks — better known as Lil Durk.

“I just wanted to come and get the facts of it,” said Moncrieffe, who has been following Banks’ music “since before he got famous.”

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.

That’s 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’ own family one of the most desirable seats in town.

But for all the spectacle says about L.A., the issue at the trial’s heart is a somber one.

It centers on the killing of 24-year-old Saviay’a Robinson who was stopped at a gas station near the bustling Beverly Center 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 — Tyquian Bowman, a rapper known as Quando Rondo.

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that the 2022 shooting that ended in Robinson’s 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.

The twisted tale involves a cadre of rappers and hangers-on, shootings in separate states, two deaths and various acts of betrayal.

Bennett had gotten into a fistfight with Bowman outside an Atlanta hookah lounge and was fatally shot by someone in Bowman’s entourage.

But where each side diverges is on who was seeking revenge, an act that resulted in the death of an unintended victim — Robinson — instead of Bowman.

In front of a packed courtroom on Aug. 24, prosecutors told jurors that Banks had been “consumed with revenge,” after the death of Bennett, a close friend and member of his Only The Family hip-hop collective. Banks “used his wealth and used his purse strings” to have hit men settle the score, said Asst. U.S. Attorney Daniel Weiner.

Seven people, including Banks, were charged in connection with Robinson’s 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.

Three others have reached plea deals and agreed to testify for the government, including Banks’ former personal assistant Kavon Grant, who has since turned on his boss.

Defense attorney Marissa Goldberg told jurors that Banks wasn’t 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.

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, “a light bulb” went off in his head.

“He thought, ‘Oh, man, I got an insurance policy. I got a big fish I can give them, so they won’t look at all of these things that I did,’” she said.

“Mr. Banks is a performer. He’s won a Grammy. But there is one individual who has been practicing to take the stand for a long time. He’s practicing his performance. He’s hoping he gets an Oscar,” Goldberg added. “Mr. Banks is a performer, he is a celebrity, but as he sits here today, he’s 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.”

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.

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

“It’s unbelievable,” one observed.

At least three people, including Robinson’s mom and Banks’ wife, have bodyguards in tow, some of them hulking and one with a tattooed head that bears the letters SOG, to signify “Son of God.” There are content creators, who report trial updates through social media videos, including on TikTok and YouTube, racking up hundreds of thousands of views.

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.

Before entering 10C, everyone’s 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’re carrying no other electronics.

Among those who have been wanded is MGK. He squeezed onto a hard bench in the second row with Banks’ family as a detective testified.

“this been my bro for a decade when he called and asked if id pull up and support im there no question,” the rapper later posted on X. “free durk.”

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’s all-black outfit was allowed, but his shades violated court etiquette.

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’ family members would get secured seats to 15 people.

“Otherwise, it’s going to be first come, first serve,” Fitzgerald said.

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 No. 3.

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.

“I’ve been listening to his music since I was young,” Fields said.

A few people behind him was Oscar Garcia, who had been paid to line-sit for Banks’ 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’t swap places, the pair decided to head in anyway and see the spectacle for themselves.

Even farther back was Brandon Santiago, 29, who was visiting from New York for a wedding. Santiago said he’s a fan of Banks’ music and came early to try to secure a seat.

“This is kind of my first courtroom experience,” said Santiago, who wore a shirt featuring rapper Max B.

Santiago’s hope, he said, is that “we just get to the truth of everything.”

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’ defense in action.

Banks’ legal team includes Brian Steel, who has represented defendants like Young Thug and Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Drew Findling, who has represented Cardi B and Lil Baby. Brooks referred to the lawyers as “living legends.”

“And Durk is one of my favorite rappers, so this is mandatory,” Brooks said. “I had to come, especially when it’s being tried in L.A. I want to learn about the case, I also want to learn how to be a good lawyer.”

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.

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.

Steel made the point several times that Grant handled the L.A. trip logistics.

“It’s not his fault. It’s Durk’s fault. Durk put us in the situation, not him,” Hester testified. “He wasn’t the mastermind behind this ... he was following orders just like everybody else was.”

On a break outside the courtroom, Garcia, who is studying for his master’s degree in public relations, confessed he had “no idea what anybody’s talking about.” But he said he could feel the passion in the room and how “people are really invested.”

“It’s very L.A.,” he said. “I’ve never experienced people wanting to get into a courtroom so bad.”

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