A murder trial over the killing of Tupac Shakur kicked off Monday (Aug. 17) in a Las Vegas courtroom, where prosecutors told jurors that the legendary rapper’s slaying was “an act of revenge” carried out by former Los Angeles gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis.
In opening statements of a trial expected to last at least a month, prosecutors told jurors Davis had masterminded the 1996 drive-by shooting that left the legendary rapper dead at the age of 25, doing so in response to a fight earlier that night in which Shakur attacked his nephew at a Las Vegas casino.
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As expected, prosecutors leaned heavily on Davis’ own statements about his involvement in the famous crime — including in a 2008 interview and a 2019 memoir in which he admitted that he was in the front seat for the shooting and had provided the gun to the shooter in the backseat.
“Let’s be clear: Duane Davis did not pull the trigger,” prosecutor Binu Palal told jurors. “You will learn that when the opportunity presented itself for retribution, Duane Davis made sure that the shooters were armed and ready to execute their revenge. And remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.”
Prosecutors repeatedly played clips in which Davis discussed his involvement, including both private interviews with police and public media appearances while he was promoting his book. Palal said they showed his “visceral anger” with Shakur over the attack on his nephew, even decades later.
“Duane Davis knew that in his world, that required a response,” the prosecutor said. “Now, nearly 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable.”
Monday’s hearing is ongoing, with attorneys for Davis set to present their own opening statements. This story will be updated with more details as the trial continues.
The hearing marks the start of a trial that will last several weeks and potentially include testimony from imprisoned former Death Row Records boss Suge Knight and many others. If convicted, Davis, 63, could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Shakur, a rising superstar in the rap world, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. His death came amid the infamous East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud, and was followed months later by the shooting of rival The Notorious B.I.G. No one was charged with either killing, and the pair of cold cases became a fixture in American cultural history.
But in September 2023, prosecutors unveiled a murder indictment against Davis, a former Crips gang leader in 1990s Los Angeles, claiming he’d orchestrated the killing as revenge after Shakur’s entourage beat up his nephew earlier that night. They cited his own words as evidence, including a 2019 memoir in which he candidly described his role in the crime.
Davis has since disavowed those statements, arguing that the book was essentially fictional and steadfastly maintaining his innocence. But the judge has allowed the book and other media statements to be cited as evidence, leaving it to the jury to decide if they are true.
Following Monday’s opening statements, jurors will hear weeks of witness testimony and then eventually reach a verdict.
