The murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the 1996 killing of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur is heading to closing arguments after the defense rested its case on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Jurors are scheduled to return to the Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas to hear final arguments before beginning deliberations in the only prosecution brought in the decades-old homicide.
Defense Rests After Nine Days of Testimony
The presentation of evidence concluded after nine days of testimony, during which the defense called three witnesses. Davis, 63, did not take the stand in his own defense. According to court records, he has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Tupac Shakur was fatally wounded on September 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW driven by Marion “Suge” Knight near the Las Vegas Strip. A white Cadillac pulled up alongside them at a red light, and gunfire erupted. Shakur died from his injuries six days later, while Knight survived the shooting.
Witness Testimony and Investigation Details
During the defense’s final hours of testimony, retired Las Vegas homicide detective Dan Long took the stand. Long testified that he attempted to verify multiple claims Davis made during a 2009 police interview, including that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, sought hospital treatment after a casino brawl with Shakur and others hours before the shooting. Long stated he found no hospital records confirming Anderson’s treatment, nor could he locate records for a white Cadillac mentioned by Davis.
When questioned by defense attorney Michael Sanft, Long acknowledged he had no independent evidence outside of Davis’s statements confirming Davis was inside the Cadillac during the shooting. However, prosecutors countered during cross-examination that Davis’s account aligned with details already gathered by investigators, noting that Davis identified the same four individuals police believed were in the vehicle.
Long also testified that following his 2009 interview with Davis, he returned to Las Vegas intending to seek a murder arrest warrant based on probable cause, but prosecutors at the time instructed him to hold off while they reviewed the case. The defense additionally called two former Las Vegas police officers who patrolled outside Knight’s home on the night of the shooting, testifying about vehicles entering and leaving the property.
Prosecution’s Case and Prior Statements
Prosecutors rested their case on Wednesday after calling 24 witnesses. Their arguments rely heavily on statements Davis made over the years across police interviews, a 2019 memoir, and recorded jail calls. Prosecutors maintain that Davis orchestrated the shooting as retaliation for the casino altercation involving his nephew.
The case remained unsolved for decades until Davis’s public admissions and memoir revived law enforcement scrutiny, culminating in his October 2023 arrest by Las Vegas detectives. Closing arguments are set to begin Monday morning before the jury receives the case for deliberations.