The trial of a man accused of orchestrating the killing of Tupac Shakur is set to get underway. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in the rapper’s death. He pleaded not guilty, but if convicted, faces life in prison.
The opening statements will begin on Monday, kicking off weeks of testimony that will revisit what happened in Las Vegas nearly 30 years ago. Shakur was in the passenger seat of a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight on Sept. 7, 1996, when shots were fired from a Cadillac at a red light. Knight survived but Shakur died six days later.
Despite his death aged 25, Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. More than 75 million of his records have been sold worldwide, with hits like California Love and Dear Mama, including several albums released after his death. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
In 2023, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, had a street in Oakland named in his honor and inspired a character on the upcoming video game Stranger than Heaven. The long-unsolved drive-by shooting gripped the hip-hop community, partly because no one was charged until Davis was indicted in 2023. Over the course of the trial, which could span weeks, prosecutors plan to call between 35 and 45 potential witnesses, and the defense will call only a handful to testify.
Members of Shakur’s family are expected to be in the courtroom Monday. Shakur’s stepbrother, Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, recently said that sitting through the trial will be traumatizing for the family, but it's important to be there. Along with Shakur's family, friends and fans traveled to Las Vegas to show their support during jury selection.
A jury of six men and 10 women was selected Thursday to hear the case. Darryl Harper, a veteran music producer who collaborated with Shakur at Death Row Records on songs released after the 1996 shooting, said he booked a plane ticket as soon as the latest trial date was set. Harper hopes the trial will reveal the truth about who was involved with the shooting.
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