Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Begins in Las Vegas
Nearly three decades after rap legend Tupac Shakur was gunned down near the Las Vegas Strip, the trial of the only man ever charged in his killing is finally underway. Jury selection began Monday in Clark County District Court for Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, the former leader of the South Side Compton Crips gang in California, according to AP News.
Davis faces a single count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur’s death. He has pleaded not guilty and faces life in prison without parole if convicted. About 75 potential jurors were called to the courthouse Monday, with seven asked to return Thursday afternoon as attorneys continue the selection process through the week. A total of 16 jurors will be selected for the monthlong trial, with opening arguments expected to begin around August 17.
The Night of the Shooting
On September 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW driven by music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up beside them at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip. Gunfire erupted, striking Shakur multiple times. He died six days later at age 25. Knight survived with minor injuries.
Prosecutors allege Davis orchestrated the shooting as retaliation for the beating of his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, by Shakur and his entourage at the MGM Grand hours earlier, after the rapper attended a Mike Tyson boxing match. They claim Davis provided the gun and directed the attack, even though he is not accused of pulling the trigger. The BBC reports that prosecutors believe the killing was in retaliation for the MGM Grand confrontation.
Three others were in the Cadillac that night — Anderson, Deandrae “Freaky” Smith, and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown — but all have since died. Davis is the only surviving person from the vehicle, as AP News detailed in its breakdown of who was present that night.
How the Case Was Revived
For nearly three decades, Shakur’s killing remained one of America’s most famous unsolved murders. The case went cold amid disappearing witnesses, limited physical evidence, and a street code that forbade cooperation with police.
That changed when Davis published the 2019 tell-all memoir “Compton Street Legend” and gave multiple interviews discussing his involvement. Prosecutors say if Davis hadn’t written explicitly about the killing, it’s likely no one would have been charged.
“Had he never decided to take money and go on BET and talk about this situation, had he decided to never write the book, he would not, probably, have ever been prosecuted for the crime,” prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said during a hearing last month, as reported by Metro.
The prosecution’s case relies heavily on Davis’s memoir and a 2008 police interview. In July, Nevada Judge Carli Kierny ruled that the 2008 interview recording could be used at trial, as AP News reported. Davis wrote in his book that he “sang because they promised I would not be prosecuted,” and expressed regret: “It kills me on the inside to know that I told them anything.”
Davis’s Defense
Davis has since backtracked from his earlier statements. In a recent jailhouse interview with a Las Vegas television station, he denied being in Nevada on the night of the shooting.
“I wasn’t in Nevada, period,” Davis said, according to Atlanta Black Star.
He also told Fox 5: “I did not write that book. A ghost writer wrote that.” His defense attorneys argue the memoir was fictionalized to make a profit and that the state relies on witnesses who weren’t there. Davis’s attorney Michael Sanft is expected to call expert witnesses on false confessions and coercive interrogation techniques.
Trial attorney Shaun Kent told the BBC: “This is what makes this case so fascinating. The two biggest pieces of evidence against Keffe D came from Keffe D.” He added: “This trial is going to be a legal scholar’s Super Bowl.”
Witnesses and Key Figures
Prosecutors expect to call between 35 and 45 witnesses, including former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and members of Shakur’s family. The witness list also includes Denvonta Lee, a former Davis associate who testified to the grand jury that Smith, not Anderson, was the actual shooter.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is not on any witness lists. He is serving a four-year prison sentence in New Jersey following conviction on prostitution-related charges. Suge Knight, the only other living eyewitness from that night, is serving a 28-year sentence in California and has said he would not testify.
Neither the Cadillac used in the shooting nor the murder weapon has ever been recovered, according to retired Las Vegas police Detective Clifford Mogg. “We were never able to identify the person who rented the car, where it was rented from, and then when it comes to the gun, we have never recovered as of this date, the weapon that was used in the murder,” Mogg testified to the grand jury.
Shakur’s Enduring Legacy
Shakur sold over 75 million records worldwide, had five No. 1 albums, was nominated for six Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. He received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.
“I can’t think of anyone else in the history of hip-hop who’s had a greater impact in such a short period of time,” said Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, a history professor at the University of Connecticut, as reported by The Guardian.
For Shakur’s family, the trial represents a long-awaited chance for answers. “Whoever had anything to do with it, whoever set it up, whoever had any hand in it should be locked up in prison,” said Shakur’s cousin, Kendrick Lesane.
His stepbrother Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur expressed cautious hope: “I hope that the trial is fair, and we find out the truth.” He added: “That would be justice for me. But we all know that is unattainable.”
What to Watch For
The trial is unlikely to definitively answer who pulled the trigger that night. Instead, the proceedings will focus on whether Davis orchestrated the killing and supplied the weapon. The case hinges on his own words — in his memoir, his interviews, and his 2008 police statement — and whether the jury believes his retraction.
Fans have expressed relief that the case is finally moving forward. “This case been hanging over hip hop for so long, feels strange to see it actually moving,” one Reddit commenter wrote, as noted by AP News.
As the trial unfolds over the coming month, it will revisit one of the defining tragedies of hip-hop history — and potentially deliver the closure that Shakur’s family, friends, and millions of fans have awaited for three decades.