Man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder to stand trial in Las Vegas

Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is set to begin a murder trial in Las Vegas on Monday, more than 29 years after the drive-by shooting that killed rap star Tupac Shakur. Prosecutors allege Davis acted as the mastermind, providing the weapon and directing the attack, while he has pleaded not guilty to a single count of murder with a deadly weapon intended to further a criminal gang.

The trial, expected to last about a month, is unlikely to identify the shooter but aims to establish Davis as the “shot caller.” Investigators say gunfire originated from the Cadillac in which Davis was a passenger, and he is one of the few individuals present that night still alive.

The case resurfaced after Davis published a memoir in 2019 describing his involvement with the South Side Compton Crips and discussing the 1996 incident. Prosecutors are using the book and a 2008 police interview as key evidence, despite defense objections that the memoir was fictionalized and co-authored.

"I hope that the trial is fair, and we find out the truth," said Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur, Tupac's stepbrother, expressing cautious optimism about the proceedings.

According to grand-jury transcripts, the shooting was part of a broader feud between rival record labels and associated gang factions. Prosecutors claim Davis sought retaliation after Shakur’s entourage allegedly assaulted Davis’s nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, earlier that night at the MGM Grand.

Davis’s attorneys argue there is no direct evidence linking him to the shooting and contend that the state relies on witnesses who were not present at the scene. They also note that Davis left the narcotics trade in 2009 and worked a regular job until health issues forced retirement in 2014.

The trial follows years of speculation and renewed public interest sparked by Davis’s own statements and the memoir, which described the incident as a response to perceived disrespect from Shakur’s circle.