Trial begins for man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing

The trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a 63-year-old former Los Angeles gang leader, began Monday in Las Vegas in connection with the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole.

Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas. The case remained unsolved for nearly three decades until Davis was charged in 2023. Jury selection has been completed, and opening statements commenced Monday.

In opening statements, Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that prosecutors intend to prove Davis ordered the shooting. "Let's be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew," Palal said. "Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself."

Prosecutors allege that Davis's nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, was attacked by Shakur's entourage in September 1996. Video footage of the beating was shown to jurors during opening statements. According to prosecutors, Davis orchestrated the killing as an act of revenge for this attack.

The prosecution's case is built largely around Davis's own words, including two police interviews, media appearances, and his memoir. Prosecutors have not accused Davis of pulling the trigger but claim he supplied the murder weapon and served as the "on-the-ground, on-site commander of the effort to kill Tupac."

Davis's defense attorney, Michael Sanft, disputed the prosecution's narrative in his opening statement, calling it "fiction" and arguing there was no merit to allegations that Davis was responsible for Shakur's murder. Sanft distanced himself from the contents of Davis's memoir, though Davis confirmed to his mistress that he wrote it and indicated he was ready to discuss details of the murder.

Prosecutors have submitted audio evidence to the court in which Davis contradicted his own defense. A photo of Suge Knight's bullet-ridden BMW was also filed as evidence by Las Vegas prosecutors as part of the trial proceedings.