Opening statements in the murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the man accused of orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed rap star Tupac Shakur, are set to begin Monday in Las Vegas. Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to murder and could face life in prison without parole if convicted.
Prosecution Case Built on Memoir
Prosecutors allege Davis, a former gang leader, planned the attack and supplied the weapon, though they do not accuse him of firing the fatal shots. Their case relies heavily on Davis’s 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, in which he described himself as one of the last surviving eyewitnesses to the shooting.
In the book, Davis wrote that after his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, clashed with Shakur and his entourage at a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, he devised a plan to find Shakur, label head Marion “Suge” Knight, and other Death Row Records affiliates. He brought a 0.40 Glock into the car. “The next few seconds all happened so quickly,” he wrote. “No words were exchanged, the time for talking had passed, the shit was on! Tupac made an erratic move and began to reach down beneath his seat. It was the first and only time in my life that I could relate to the police command to, ‘Keep your hands where I can see them.’ Instead, Pac pulled out a strap, and that’s when the fireworks started. One of my guys from the back seat grabbed the Glock and started bustin’ back.”
Defense Challenges Book's Credibility
Davis’s lawyers have argued the memoir should be inadmissible, claiming he and his co-author exaggerated details. “Think of it this way: Shakur’s murder was essentially the entertainment world’s JFK assassination – endlessly dissected, mythologized, monetized – so it’s not hard to see why someone in Davis’s position might falsely place himself at the center of it all for personal gain,” they wrote in a court filing. Nevada Judge Carli Kierny denied the request, noting Davis “promotes this book as his book. He encourages people to buy it to get the real truth.”
Prosecutors are also expected to present evidence from interviews Davis gave to law enforcement in 2008 and 2009, which he characterized as an “exceptional deal” granting immunity on drug charges in exchange for information about the murder.
Witnesses and Lingering Questions
The trial, expected to last four weeks, may not definitively answer who killed Shakur, but family members have called it a culmination of years of grief. Knight, who was wounded in the shooting and is serving a 28-year sentence for a fatal hit-and-run, is on the witness list. Asked by ABC News if he would testify, Knight said: “I don’t get paid to solve homicides.” Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, and stepbrother, Maurice Shakur, who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Davis, could also testify.
Jury selection concluded last week, with fans wearing Tupac merchandise and relatives present at the courthouse. Shakur’s cousin Kendrick Lesane told the Associated Press: “Whoever had anything to do with it, whoever set it up, whoever had any hand in it should be locked up in prison.” Another cousin, William Lesane, said to Fox 5: “He is dead in the physical form but spiritually Tupac is still alive.”
