Closing Arguments Begin in Tupac Shakur Murder Trial

A Las Vegas court is set to hear closing arguments in the trial of Duane Keffe D Davis, who is accused of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, is charged with one count of murder using a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty and faces a potential sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors allege that Davis led a group of men to kill Shakur in retaliation for a beating his nephew, Orlando Anderson, received from Shakur and his entourage at the MGM Grand earlier that night. While prosecutors do not claim Davis pulled the trigger, they argue he arranged the attack and provided the weapon. The prosecution's case relies heavily on Davis's own words from a 2019 memoir, media appearances, and recorded secret meetings with investigators. The defense argues that these admissions were mere bravado and a work of fiction created by a man seeking money and notoriety. Defense attorney Michael Sanft stated there is no hard evidence placing Davis in the white Cadillac used in the shooting or even proving he was in Las Vegas on the night of the crime. During the trial, the prosecution called 25 witnesses over eight days, while the defense called three witnesses and rested its case in under two hours. Some witnesses cited the code of the streets to explain their reluctance to cooperate with police. Judge Carli Kierny will provide instructions to the jury, including considerations on the voluntariness of Davis's statements and whether the shooting involved self defense. Relatives of Shakur have attended the proceedings, stating they hope the trial brings long awaited closure.