The trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a man accused of orchestrating the killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, began this week with jury selection in Las Vegas. The proceedings start nearly 30 years after the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed the rapper near the Las Vegas Strip.
Jury Selection Begins in Tupac Shakur Murder Trial
Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has been jailed since late 2023.
Attorneys began vetting potential jurors on Monday, with seven individuals asked to return Thursday afternoon. A total of 16 jurors will be selected for the trial, which is expected to last approximately one month. During the process, Binu Palal, the county’s chief deputy district attorney, questioned potential jurors about their familiarity with the case, their knowledge of gangs, whether they had listened to Shakur’s music, and their familiarity with individuals including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Marion “Suge” Knight.
The 1996 Shooting and Investigation
On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was a passenger in a black BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight. The pair had just attended a boxing match where Mike Tyson defeated Bruce Seldon. As they headed toward a nightclub where Shakur was scheduled to perform, Shakur was hit by four bullets in a drive-by shooting just off the Vegas Strip.
The attack destroyed Shakur’s right lung, and he was pronounced dead after six days on life support. He was 25 years old.
According to investigators, the shooters were in a Cadillac. Keffe D was in the front passenger seat, while DeAndre “Big Dre” Smith and another man, Orlando Anderson, were in the back. Anderson was killed in a gang shootout in 1998, leaving Davis as the only surviving occupant of the Cadillac. While investigators are not certain who fired the shots, Davis stated in a 2021 interview that Anderson shot both Shakur and Knight. The indictment against Davis alleges he provided the weapon used in the attack.
Key Evidence and Witness Testimony
The prosecution’s case relies heavily on Compton Street Legend,
a book co-authored by Davis about his time in the Crips and the shooting. Prosecutors also intend to use media interviews and a recording of a 2008 police interview.
Defense attorneys for Davis unsuccessfully attempted to block the use of the book and the 2008 recording, arguing that the book was fictionalized and that the presence of a co-author made it impossible to determine which portions were written by Davis. In the book, Davis claimed he saw Shakur reach for a weapon and wrote that a member of his group in the back seat grabbed the Glock and started bustin’ back.
However, retired Las Vegas police Detective Clifford Mogg stated that no weapon was found in the vehicle occupied by Shakur and Knight.
Prosecutors expect to call between 35 and 45 witnesses, including:
- Members of Tupac Shakur’s family
- Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman
- Individuals who saw Shakur moments before the shooting
- People who were in the orbits of both Davis and Shakur at the time
Claims and Legal Stakes
The trial follows years of speculation and mystery. In his book, Davis alleged that Sean “Diddy” Combs offered him money to kill both Knight and Shakur, a claim Combs has long denied.
Davis’s defense team maintains there is no evidence he directed the shooting and argues that the state is relying on witnesses who were not present at the scene. The case marks the first time anyone has faced trial for the murder of the number one-selling rapper, who combined hip-hop with classical poetry and Shakespeare.
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