Duane Davis Trial Begins in Tupac Shakur Murder Case
Jury selection underway in Las Vegas for former gang leader accused of ordering 1996 killing.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Sarah Connor
Duane 'Keffe D' Davis is on trial in Las Vegas for the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, faces charges of murder with a deadly weapon, with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang.
Prosecutors assert Davis ordered Tupac Shakur's killing and supplied the firearm used in the 1996 shooting; Davis, 63, faces a potential life sentence without parole if convicted.
Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight attended a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand on the night of the shooting.
Las Vegas police searched Davis's home in 2023, arresting him in September of that year.
Davis co-authored a 2019 memoir, 'Compton Street Legend', in which he claimed he was present in the car when Tupac was shot and stated he tossed the gun.
His legal team attempted to prevent both his memoirs and a 2008 police interview from being admitted as evidence, arguing his book is partially fictional.
He reportedly told police information in exchange for not being charged, and Davis has also maintained he never stated he was the individual who opened fire on Tupac.
However, in his memoir, Davis claimed he obtained a handgun from an associate and tossed it into the back seat of the Cadillac, though he did not specify who fired the fatal shots.
Denvonta Lee, in grand jury testimony, claimed Orlando Anderson did not have a clear shot, stating another individual, Smith, took the gun and did the shooting.
Denvonta Lee indicated that Lee added that Davis was in charge and gave the gun to Anderson, who then gave it to Smith, providing a detailed account of the alleged chain of events.
Lee added that Davis was in charge and gave the gun to Anderson, who then gave it to Smith, providing a detailed account of the alleged chain of events.
Orlando 'Baby Lane' Anderson, Davis’ nephew, has long been considered the suspect who pulled the trigger; Anderson died in an unrelated incident before charges were brought.
Separately, Suge Knight has claimed police arrested the wrong man for Tupac's murder.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been speculated to testify in the trial; however, his name does not appear on any official witness list.