Nearly 30 years after rap icon Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, the long-awaited murder trial against former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis officially begins with jury selection on Monday, August 10, 2026.
Davis, 63, is the sole person ever criminally charged in connection with Shakur’s death. He faces a charge of murder with a deadly weapon with intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang, which carries a potential sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
Key Details of the Trial & Case
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The Prosecution’s Case: Prosecutors from Clark County, Nevada, allege that Davis was the “shot caller” who organized the retaliatory drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996, following an altercation at the MGM Grand casino between Shakur’s entourage and Davis’s nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. While prosecutors do not allege Davis pulled the trigger himself, they assert he secured the firearm and commanded the attack from the front passenger seat of the white Cadillac.
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Key Evidence: The prosecution’s case relies heavily on Davis’s self-incriminating statements, including his 2019 co-authored memoir (Compton Street Legend), interviews in television documentaries, and a recorded 2008 interview with federal law enforcement.
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Defense Strategy: Davis has pleaded not guilty. His defense counsel, Michael Sanft, argues that the memoir was heavily fictionalized to generate sales and tried unsuccessfully to exclude the 2008 police interview recordings from trial evidence.
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Expected Duration: Trial proceedings and jury selection at the Clark County District Court are expected to last approximately one month.
