Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday in the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who is accused of orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting death of hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a single count of murder by use of a deadly weapon in Clark County, Nevada.
The case stems from a September 7, 1996, shooting near the Las Vegas Strip that followed a physical altercation at the MGM Grand casino involving Shakur and his associates. Investigators reported that the violence originated from hostilities between two Los Angeles-area street gangs: the South Side Compton Crips, allegedly led by Davis, and Mob Piru, which police stated was associated with Death Row Records.
Prosecutors allege that Davis obtained the weapon and provided it to individuals in the back seat of a Cadillac while searching for Shakur’s vehicle. Shakur was struck four times and died six days later at age 25, while Marion "Suge" Knight, who was driving, sustained a minor injury. While police named Davis as a longtime suspect, they stated that sufficient evidence for an arrest did not exist until Davis made a series of public statements and published a 2019 memoir detailing his involvement.
The proceedings are expected to last approximately six weeks at a courthouse in downtown Las Vegas. During this period, the court may hear testimony from Marion "Suge" Knight, a former music executive currently serving a 28-year sentence for an unrelated voluntary manslaughter conviction. The outcome of the trial could provide a legal resolution to a case that police previously described as cold for nearly 30 years before Davis's 2023 arrest.
The trial is overseen by Judge Carli Kierny. While Davis previously stated in his memoir that he was also considered a suspect in the 1997 killing of Christopher Wallace, known as The Notorious B.I.G., that case remains unsolved. Following jury selection, the court will proceed with testimony to determine Davis's culpability in the Shakur killing. No specific end date for the trial has been established beyond the projected six-week duration.