Tupac Shakur murder: Trial for suspect Duane 'Keffe D' Davis set to begin Monday
FILE-Duane "Keffe D" Davis enters a courtroom in Clark County District Court for a trial readiness status check at the Regional Justice Center on June 17, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus-Pool/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS - The man accused of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur is scheduled to go on trial on Monday, Aug. 10.
Duane "Keffe D" Davis' trial is happening nearly 30 years after the deadly drive-by-shooting in Las Vegas.
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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. The Associated Press reported that the 63-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the crime and has been jailed since late 2023.
Duane 'Keffe D' Davis trial
Dig deeper:
Duane "Keffe D" Davis’ trial is expected to last a month, but likely won't show who pulled the trigger in the shooting.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors hope to prove that Davis called the shots in and provided the gun used in the crime. Gunfire came from the Cadillac that Davis was in, and he's one of the only people there that night who is still alive.
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Additionally, the prosecutors' case relies on "Compton Street Legend," the book Davis co-authored about the shooting and his time in the Crips, and police and media interviews he participated in.
The AP reported that Davis' lawyers unsuccessfully fought to block the use of the book and a recording of a 2008 police interview in the trial.
His attorneys contend that the book was fictionalized and had a co-author, making it impossible to know which parts Davis wrote. The lawyers also argued Davis' interview with a federal task force probing the deaths of Christoper Wallace and Tupac Shakur was supposed to be confidential and not used against him.
Tupac murdered in Las Vegas shooting
The backstory:
On Sept. 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight was driving. Shakur and Knight had just watched Mike Tyson defeat Bruce Seldon in a boxing match and were traveling to a nightclub where Shakur was scheduled to perform.
At a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, a white Cadillac pulled up beside them, and a shooting occurred. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived with minor injuries. Knight is serving a 28-year prison sentence for a deadly hit-and-run.
No weapon was found in Knight and Shakur’s car, according to retired Las Vegas police Detective Clifford Mogg, who was assigned to the investigation in early 2018.
The Associated Press reported that the case went cold until Davis began making public statements about his involvement as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips.
In 2019, he published a tell-all memoir. The book, along with interviews Davis gave, revived the police investigation.
Shakur's legendary rap career was highlighted by more than 75 million records worldwide with hits including "California Love," "Changes" and "Dear Mama."
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.