Trial begins for man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur murder

Opening statements began on Monday, 17 August 2026, in a Las Vegas courthouse for the trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the only person ever charged in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, faces a possible life sentence on charges of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.

Prosecutors do not claim Davis fired the fatal shots, but instead allege he was the "shot caller" who organized the killing in retaliation for a fight earlier that night. According to reports from the Associated Press and ABC News, the prosecution argues that Shakur and his entourage beat Davis' nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand hours before the attack. The gunfire allegedly came from a white Cadillac containing Davis and three other men, all of whom have since died.

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The case remained unsolved for nearly 30 years, stalled by a lack of physical evidence and a gangland code of silence. The only living eyewitness, Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight, 61, has refused to cooperate. Knight, who is serving a 28-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter in an unrelated case, told ABC News that testifying against someone is worse than taking a gun and shooting that man in the head because while a shot kills a person once, snitching makes them die a million times.

The 2023 indictment of Davis was sparked by the defendant's own public admissions. While Davis spoke to investigators in 2008 under an agreement that his words could not be used against him, he later detailed his role in the killing through media interviews and his 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend." Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo stated that had he decided to never write the book, he would not, probably, have ever been prosecuted for the crime.

Defense attorney Michael Sanft argues the memoir was co-authored to generate money rather than to provide a factual account. According to court documents cited by Fox 5 and the Associated Press, the book's co-author, Yusuf Jah, told an investigator he did not believe Davis fully read the text. Moreover, Davis recently told Fox 5 that he was not in Las Vegas the night of the shooting, a claim that contradicts his memoir's description of him carpooling from Los Angeles to attend the same boxing match as Shakur.

The defense intends to call an expert witness on false confessions to testify regarding coercive interrogation and the degradation of memory over time. Prosecutors responded in court documents that while the book is sensationalized, they will demonstrate what is true, what is exaggeration, and what is an outright lie.

A jury of six men and 10 women will decide the case. The panel includes a mailman, a casino worker, and a retired gemologist who had not heard of Tupac Shakur before the trial. Some jurors were not yet born or were toddlers in 1996.

Prosecutors plan to call between 35 and 45 potential witnesses over a trial expected to last roughly one month. The witness list includes original investigators and members of Davis' crew, as well as Kirk Burrowes, the president of Bad Boy Records. While the trial focuses on Davis, the prosecution noted during jury selection that the name of Sean "Diddy" Combs—who is currently serving a 50-month sentence on unrelated charges—may be mentioned, though jurors will not be asked to judge him.

For Shakur's family, the proceedings are a source of renewed pain. His stepbrother, Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur, told the Associated Press that the trial will be retraumatizing, but emphasized the importance of being there to stand by Pac.

Because Davis waived his right to be sentenced by the jury, Judge Carli Kierny will determine the penalty if he is convicted. Based on the projected timeline, a verdict may be reached on or around 13 September, the anniversary of Shakur's death.

The occupants of the white Cadillac

• Orlando Anderson: Davis' nephew and suspected gunman; killed in 1998.
• "Big Dre" Smith: Allegedly confessed to firing the shots;

The trial continues to examine the evidence against Davis, who remains in custody as the court weighs his public admissions against his current claims of innocence. The final outcome depends on whether the jury finds the prosecution's testimony and the contents of "Compton Street Legend" sufficient to prove Davis orchestrated the murder.