Tupac’s 30-Year-Old Murder Mystery Reignites as Suspect Faces Trial
- Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, former South Side Compton Crips leader, goes on trial Monday over the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur
- Prosecutors allege Davis ordered the drive-by shooting and supplied the gun, with the trial expected to run for about a month
- Davis has pleaded not guilty, now claiming he was in Los Angeles the night of Shakur's death and has never even read his own memoirs
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After nearly three decades of unanswered questions, the murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur, also known as 2Pac, is finally heading to court.
Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, a former gang leader from Compton, California, begins his trial in Las Vegas on Monday, August 10, 2026, in connection with the 1996 killing that shook the music world.
Source: Instagram
Prosecutors allege that Davis, who once led the South Side Compton Crips, orchestrated the fatal drive-by shooting and placed the weapon used to kill Tupac Shakur in the hands of those who pulled the trigger.
If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The trial is expected to last approximately one month, beginning with jury selection, which could take up to a week.
What happened the night Tupac Shakur died
Tupac Shakur was fatally shot on the night of September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas, where he had attended a Mike Tyson boxing bout at the MGM Grand.
Earlier that evening, Tupac Shakur and Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight allegedly assaulted Davis's nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, a Crips member, reportedly in retaliation for an earlier incident involving a Death Row employee.
Later that night, a white Cadillac carrying Davis and several others, including Anderson, drew alongside Tupac Shakur's vehicle, as reported by CNN.
Shots were fired from the Cadillac, and Tupac Shakur succumbed to his wounds six days later at the age of 25.
Every other person who was inside that car that night has since died.
Davis's own words come back to haunt him
The cold case sat largely dormant for decades, stalled by limited evidence, until Davis published his memoirs in 2019.
In the book, he acknowledged being in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac and passing a pistol to those seated behind him, though he stopped short of naming the shooter.
Those revelations, combined with remarks he had made to journalists previously and to police in 2008 as a witness, led to his arrest in September 2023.
Davis has since distanced himself from the book entirely.
In a March 2025 prison interview with ABC News, he insisted:
"I'm innocent. I ain't killed nobody. Never did ever kill nobody. They don't have no evidence against me. They can't even put me in Las Vegas."
He now maintains he was in Los Angeles that night and claims his co-author fabricated much of the memoir's content to boost sales.
"I just gave him details of my life," Davis said. "And he went and did his little investigation and wrote the book on his own."
Tupac Shakur's family still seeking justice
Even a conviction may not bring closure to those closest to the late rapper.
In May 2025, Tupac Shakur's stepbrother Maurice filed a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court, arguing that others involved in the murder have gone unaccountable for 30 years.
The suit references a documentary series titled "Sean Combs: The Reckoning," in which Davis reportedly told police that Sean "Diddy" Combs, currently imprisoned on separate charges, offered him $1 million to arrange Shakur's killing.
Source: Instagram
Judge orders singer D4vd trial
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a California judge ordered American singer D4vd to stand trial for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez after prosecutors presented disturbing evidence during a five-day hearing.
The court heard that D4vd allegedly lured Hernandez to his home, killed her, and attempted to dispose of her remains using items purchased online.
Prosecutors also revealed text messages, pregnancy details, and family consent records, while the defence argued Hernandez had mental health struggles and violent tendencies.
Source: Legit.ng
