Trial Begins for Former Gang Leader Accused of Orchestrating Tupac Shakur Murder
11 sources across 9 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- The Guardian
- BBC News
- CNN
- Wall Street Journal
- G1
- France 24
- Der Spiegel
- South China Morning Post
- TheCable
- Al Jazeera
- Daily Maverick
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
The trial of Duane Davis, known as Keffe D, began on Monday in a Las Vegas courtroom. Davis, a 63 year old former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, is accused of orchestrating the 1996 drive by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur. He faces one count of murder using a deadly weapon with the intent to promote or assist a criminal gang. Davis has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors allege that the killing was an act of revenge. According to opening statements by prosecutor Binu Palal, Shakur and his entourage participated in a humiliating beating of Davis's nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand hotel on September 7, 1996. Prosecutors claim that hours later, Davis acted as the on site commander by providing a gun to passengers in a white Cadillac and ordering them to shoot Shakur. While the prosecution does not allege that Davis pulled the trigger himself, they argue he masterminded the attack.
Defense lawyer Michael Sanft argued that the prosecution's case is based on fiction rather than fact. Sanft asserted that investigators have very little evidence after 30 years and questioned the credibility of witnesses. He also alleged that police misconduct and incompetence occurred during the investigation, including the use of a fake gun for testing and the loss of investigative records.
The case was revived after Davis published a memoir in 2019 and gave various interviews in which he discussed his role in the shooting. Davis has since distanced himself from those statements, and his lawyer claims he has a habit of talking bullshit. The trial, which is expected to last between one month and six weeks, may feature testimony from Death Row Records co founder Marion Suge Knight, who was in the car with Shakur during the attack.
Outlets with a center left lean emphasized the cultural and political significance of Shakur's legacy and the systemic nature of the gang rivalries. Center right outlets focused more heavily on the legal specifics of the revenge motive and the role of the defendant as a mobster. Center outlets provided a balanced overview of the legal arguments and the historical context of the East Coast versus West Coast rap feud.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets highlighted Shakur's role as a political icon and the broader cultural impact of the crime.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the factual timeline of the trial and the core arguments of the prosecution and defense.
- Centre-right
- These outlets framed the event around the criminal nature of the gang leadership and the specific motive of revenge.
Sources
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: ‘Truth or fiction’: US trial of Tupac Shakur’s accused killer begins
- Centre BBC News: Watch: What we learned from opening statements in Tupac murder trial
- Centre BBC News: What to know about Tupac's murder trial and the gang leader accused of orchestrating his death
- Centre-left CNN: Tupac Shakur’s cousin reacts to day one of murder trial
- Centre-left Daily Maverick: Los Angeles gang leader masterminded Tupac’s drive-by killing, prosecutor tells jury
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Tupac Shakur: Prosecution gives opening statement in murder trial against Duane Davis
- Centre France 24: Tupac Shakur death trial: rapper was killed by "revenge", according to the prosecution
- Centre-left G1: Thirty years after the crime, trial begins that will try to answer who killed Tupac
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Tupac Shakur’s accused killer was out for ‘revenge’, jury hears as murder trial begins
- Centre-left The Guardian: Tupac Shakur murder trial: gang leader plotted killing to avenge beating of nephew, court hears
- Centre TheCable: Tupac Shakur murder trial begins 30 years after rapper’s death
- Centre-right Wall Street Journal: Tupac Shakur’s Murder Trial: What to Know About the Man Charged in the Shooting
93% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.