A witness in the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis provided combative testimony on Tuesday, stating he did not wish to provide information that would lead to a conviction. James "Mob James" McDonald, a former enforcer for Death Row Records, told the court he was testifying only because he was threatened with being held in contempt of court. Davis has pleaded not guilty to murder charges related to the 1996 shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur.
The trial, which began on August 17, 2026, addresses the drive-by shooting that occurred in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Prosecutors allege that Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, orchestrated the attack in retaliation for a fight between Shakur's entourage and Davis's nephew, Orlando Anderson, earlier that night. Anderson died in an unrelated 1998 shooting and was never charged in the Shakur case.
During questioning by defense attorney Michael Sanft, McDonald refused to answer certain questions, asking the court to treat him as a "hostile witness." Although McDonald stated he was not present during the shooting, he testified that members of Shakur's entourage identified those responsible shortly after the event. McDonald told Davis directly from the stand, "I don't want to send him to prison, even though we don't like each other."
The proceedings highlight the long-term legal consequences of statements made in public memoirs and interviews. Davis was arrested in 2023 after publishing a book in 2019 where he claimed to be inside the vehicle during the shooting and admitted to handling the weapon. Jurors must now weigh those past admissions against his current defense, which claims the book was fictionalized for profit. This sets a significant precedent for how law enforcement and prosecutors utilize self-published media in cold case investigations.
The trial is expected to continue through Wednesday and could include testimony from other high-profile figures, such as former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight. A conviction or acquittal will finally resolve a case that remained officially unsolved for nearly 30 years. The proceedings are taking place at the Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, where the jury will ultimately decide Davis's involvement in the 1996 killing.
Reggie Wright Jr., a former security official for Shakur, also testified on Tuesday. The defense questioned Wright regarding his rise to general manager of Death Row Records, a company then valued at $3 million, after Suge Knight left the label. Davis's defense team has suggested that evidence points to Wright rather than Davis, a claim Wright's testimony addressed during the second day of the trial.