Trial Begins for Man Accused of Orchestrating Tupac Shakur Murder

The trial of Duane Keith Davis, also known as Keffe D, has begun nearly 30 years after the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis is the only person ever charged in the death of the musician, who was killed in a drive by shooting on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas. Prosecutors allege that Davis planned the attack and supplied the weapon following a fight between Shakur's entourage and Davis' nephew after a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand. Davis has pleaded not guilty to one count of first degree murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang.

Ahead of the opening statements, Mopreme Shakur, the stepbrother of the rapper, told the BBC that the trial would not bring justice. The proceedings come amid a complex history involving the rivalry between the Bloods and the Crips, as well as the East Coast and West Coast rap feud between Shakur and Christopher Wallace, known as The Notorious B.I.G.

Davis has previously detailed his life as a member of the South Side Compton Crips in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. In that book, Davis claims that Sean Combs asked for help handling problems regarding Shakur and Death Row Records owner Marion Knight. While the rapper was a global icon known for albums like All Eyez on Me and his activism influenced by his mother, Afeni Shakur, he also faced legal issues including a sexual abuse conviction for which he was appealing at the time of his death.