Thirty years after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by attack near the Las Vegas Strip, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former gang leader, is set to face trial starting Monday. Prosecutors allege Davis orchestrated the September 1996 ambush and supplied the murder weapon, though he did not fire the fatal shots. Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to murder and could face life in prison without parole if convicted.
Prosecution’s Case Relies on Davis’s Memoir
The trial, expected to last four weeks, hinges on Davis’s 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, in which he claimed to be one of the last surviving eyewitnesses to the shooting. In the book, Davis described how his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, clashed with Shakur and his entourage before a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas. Davis wrote that he then devised a plan to find Shakur, Death Row Records head Marion “Suge” Knight, and others, bringing a 0.40 Glock into their car.
“The next few seconds all happened so quickly,” Davis recounted. “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. … 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.” Davis did not specify who took the weapon, but authorities suspect his nephew, who died in 1998, or Deandre “Big Dre” Smith, who died in 2004, fired the shots, according to court documents.
Defense Challenges Book’s Credibility
Davis’s defense attorneys have argued the memoir should be inadmissible, claiming Davis and his co-author exaggerated details for personal gain. In a court filing, they wrote: “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.”
Nevada Judge Carli Kierny denied the request, stating at a June hearing that 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 Davis’s 2008 and 2009 interviews with law enforcement, which he described as an “exceptional deal” granting immunity on potential drug charges in exchange for information about Shakur’s murder.
Witnesses and Context
Knight, who was driving Shakur’s vehicle and was wounded in the shooting, is on the witness list. He is currently serving a 28-year sentence for a fatal hit-and-run in California and told ABC News: “I don’t get paid to solve homicides.” Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, and stepbrother, Maurice Shakur, who recently filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Davis, may also testify.
Jury selection concluded last week, with fans wearing Tupac merchandise and relatives present at the Las Vegas 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, reflected on Shakur’s legacy, saying to Fox 5: “He is dead in the physical form but spiritually Tupac is still alive.”
The trial is set to revisit a notorious chapter in hip-hop history, with opening statements beginning Monday and proceedings expected to last four weeks.
