Key facts
- Duane "Keffe D" Davis is on trial for murder with a deadly weapon in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
- Jury selection begins Monday in Las Vegas for a trial expected to last about a month.
- Prosecutors intend to prove Davis orchestrated the killing and provided the weapon, not that he fired the shots.
- Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, Davis's nephew, is believed to have fired the shots but died before charges could be brought.
- The prosecution plans to call between 35 and 45 witnesses, including former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and family members of Shakur.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, is set to go to trial in Las Vegas for his alleged role in the 1996 killing of influential rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis faces a charge of murder with a deadly weapon, with prosecutors aiming to prove he orchestrated the event and provided the firearm, rather than that he personally fired the shots.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in Clark County District Court, with Judge Carli Kierny presiding. The trial is expected to last about a month and will delve into one of hip-hop's most enduring mysteries. Shakur was fatally shot on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas while in a car with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. A white Cadillac pulled alongside them, and gunfire erupted, striking Shakur multiple times. He died six days later.
The case remained cold for years until Davis's public statements and memoir, "Compton Street Legends," revived interest. Davis, identified as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips at the time, was arrested in 2023 and pleaded not guilty. While prosecutors are not arguing Davis pulled the trigger, they plan to demonstrate his involvement in planning the attack and supplying the weapon.
Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis's nephew, has long been considered the individual who fired the shots, but charges were never filed against him. Anderson died in an unrelated gang shootout two years after Shakur. Two other individuals reportedly in the Cadillac with Davis and Anderson have also since died.
Prosecutors anticipate calling between 35 and 45 witnesses, including individuals who were near Shakur before the shooting, family members, and former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. Leonard Jefferson, who captured the last known photograph of Shakur, is expected to testify. Denvonta Lee, affiliated with the South Side Crips, testified in grand jury proceedings that Anderson did not have a clear shot, leading Smith to fire the weapon, and that Davis was in charge and provided the gun.
Reggie Wright, who provided security for Death Row Records, is also slated to testify. The defense, led by Michael Sanft, plans to call fewer than a handful of witnesses, including an expert on false confessions. Marion “Suge” Knight, the only other living eyewitness present in one of the vehicles, is currently serving a prison sentence and has stated he will not testify, though his testimony could be crucial for the defense.