Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Begins Nearly 30 Years After Rapper’s Death

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Almost 30 years after the fatal drive-by shooting of rap legend Tupac Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip, Duane “Keffe D” Davis went on trial in Clark County District Court on Monday, according to reports from the Associated Press and RTÉ.ie. Davis, a 63-year-old former leader of the South Side Compton Crips in California, has pleaded not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang.

Jury Selection and Courtroom Proceedings

Family members of Shakur gathered in a Las Vegas courtroom for the beginning of jury selection, which is expected to continue through much of the week, according to the Associated Press. Nevada Judge Carli Kierny addressed a pool of 75 potential jurors regarding medical issues, language barriers, and scheduling conflicts for a trial scheduled to last about a month. During the proceedings, Binu Palal, the county’s chief deputy district attorney, asked prospective jurors whether they were familiar with key figures in the case, including music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight and Sean “Diddy” Combs, as reported by RTÉ.ie. Potential jurors were also questioned about their favorite books, movies, gang connections, and whether they had listened to Shakur’s music.

According to ABC News, Davis sat quietly next to his defense attorney, Michael Sanft, occasionally whispering as jurors responded to questions. Davis stated that if he is convicted, he wants Judge Kierny to decide his sentence rather than a jury, as noted by the Associated Press.

The Prosecution’s Case and the 1996 Shooting

Prosecutors are not accusing Davis of pulling the trigger during the September 7, 1996, attack, and the trial is unlikely to confirm who fired the fatal shots, according to the Associated Press. Instead, the state plans to demonstrate that Davis made the calls leading to Shakur’s death and provided the weapon. Shakur was 25 years old and riding in a BMW with Suge Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up to a red light, and the passenger-side occupant shot Shakur multiple times. Shakur died six days later on September 13, 1996, while Knight survived the shooting, just as his fourth solo album had reached five million copies sold.

The case remained cold for decades until public statements and Davis’s 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legends, revived the investigation and led to his 2023 arrest, according to RTÉ.ie. In the book, Davis wrote that he obtained a handgun from an associate and placed it in the back seat of the Cadillac. Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’s nephew, was long suspected of being the shooter, but charges were never filed against him; Anderson died two years later in an unrelated gang shootout in Compton, according to the Associated Press. Two other occupants of the Cadillac, Deandrae “Freaky” Smith and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown, have also died.

Witnesses and Expected Testimony

Prosecutors expect to call between 35 and 45 witnesses during the trial, including individuals who saw Shakur shortly before the shooting and people connected to both Shakur and Davis at the time, according to US News. The witness list features prominent figures such as former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and members of Shakur’s family. Meanwhile, Shakur’s cousin, Kendrick Lesane, spoke outside the court regarding the family’s pursuit of accountability, stating to the Associated Press, “Whoever had anything to do with it, whoever set it up, whoever had any hand in it should be locked up in prison.”