Man set to stand trial for Tupac Shakur's murder nearly 30 years after his death

A man is set to go on trial for the killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur after he was shot dead in Las Vegas nearly 30 years ago.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, faces one charge of murder with a deadly weapon, with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang for Shakur’s death.

The trial begins on Monday.

Shakur was in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, to watch a Mike Tyson boxing match before travelling in a black BMW with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight to Club 662, where the rapper was due to perform.

A white Cadillac pulled up beside them, and gunfire erupted, with Shakur, who was sitting in the passenger seat, shot multiple times.

He died six days later, while Knight survived the attack.

The case remained unsolved for years before public statements and a tell-all memoir by Davis helped revive the investigation.

Davis, who was a leader of the South Side Compton Crips at the time of Shakur’s death, was arrested in 2023 and has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors are not alleging that Davis was the person who pulled the trigger. Instead, they plan to argue that he helped orchestrate the killing and provided the gun used in the shooting.

The bullet-riddled car in which rapper Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in. / Credit: AP

The trial is unlikely to find out who fired the fatal shots.

Davis co-authored the memoir Compton Street Legends, which describes his account of the shooting.

The book says he obtained a handgun from an associate and threw it into the back seat of the Cadillac, but does not identify who fired the shots.

Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew, has long been considered a suspect in the killing. However, he was never charged and died two years after Shakur died in an unrelated gang shooting in Compton, California.

Two other men who were in the Cadillac, Deandrae “Freaky” Smith and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown, have also since died.

The intersection where Tupac was shot. / Credit: AP

Prosecutors are expected to call between 35 and 45 witnesses during the trial, including people who saw Shakur shortly before he was shot and others who were part of Shakur’s or Davis’ circles at the time.

The witness list includes former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman and members of Shakur’s family, although not everyone named is expected to testify.

Lawyers may also ask potential jurors whether they are familiar with certain witnesses.

Leonard Jefferson, a California resident who pulled up alongside the BMW and took what became the last known photograph of Shakur alive, is expected to give evidence.

Tupac Shakur with Snoop Dogg in 1996. / Credit: AP

The state is also expected to call Denvonta Lee, who was affiliated with the South Side Crips.

In grand jury testimony, Lee said the rival Crips and Mob Piru gangs were linked to the rival Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records labels.

Although Lee was not present on the night of the shooting, he testified that Anderson did not have a clear shot, so Smith took the gun and fired.

He also said Davis was in charge, gave the gun to Anderson, and that Anderson passed it to Smith.

Other witnesses who previously gave evidence to the grand jury include Malcolm Greenidge, a friend of Shakur’s who was travelling with his entourage that night, and Reggie Wright, who grew up in Compton and worked in security for Death Row Records.

There has also been speculation over whether Sean “Diddy” Combs could testify.

Combs is currently serving a four-year prison sentence in New Jersey after being convicted on prostitution-related charges.

Davis alleged in his book that Combs wanted Knight and Shakur dead and offered him money to kill them. Combs has long denied any involvement in Shakur’s killing.

His name does not appear on the prosecution’s witness list, and a spokesperson for Combs did not respond to requests for comment on whether he would testify.