More Than 3 Decades After Tupac's Death, Former Gang Leader Faces Trial

Nearly three decades after the shocking death of rapper Tupac Shakur, a man in his 60s is finally standing trial on charges of orchestrating the shooting. The trial of Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, 63, is expected to begin Monday in Las Vegas.

Davis is charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist criminal gang activity. U.S. prosecutors aim to prove Davis supplied the gun used in the shooting, but they do not allege he pulled the trigger himself.

Who was Tupac Shakur?

Tupac Amaru Shakur, known by his stage names Tupac or 2Pac, was a prominent rapper from California who became an icon of the genre during his brief but brilliant career in the 1990s. He released multiple albums that topped the Billboard charts and continued to release posthumous albums after his death.

Tupac's music was deeply influenced by his experiences with street violence in California, touching on themes of gang life, motherhood, love, civil rights, racism, and police brutality in America.

In the later stages of his career, Tupac signed with Death Row Records. A prominent theme in his career was his rivalry with East Coast rapper Notorious B.I.G., a feud that produced some of the most famous tracks from both artists.

Tupac had a history of involvement in gang violence. He survived an earlier shooting before being fatally wounded in a drive-by attack in Nevada on September 7, 1996. He died six days later at the age of 25.

The night Tupac died

Hours before the shooting, Tupac and Death Row Records founder Marion 'Suge' Knight were involved in a brawl at the MGM Grand hotel after a Mike Tyson boxing match. Their confrontation involved Orlando 'Baby Lane' Anderson, Davis's nephew.

Hours later, Tupac was shot six times from a white Cadillac while on his way to a performance club in Las Vegas. According to authorities, Davis was one of four people in that Cadillac. The other three, including Anderson, have all died in subsequent years. Neither the car nor the gun used in the incident has ever been found.

Who is Duane 'Keffe D' Davis?

Davis is the only person ever brought to trial for Tupac's murder. He pleaded not guilty in November 2023.

Davis is a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips gang in California, a group long suspected of involvement in Tupac's killing. The gang had a rivalry with the Mob Piru set, a group with which Tupac and Knight were associated.

Davis has been held in custody since 2023 awaiting trial. In 2025, he was convicted of assault following a prison fight, according to Nevada media.

Why is the trial happening now?

This trial is entirely rooted in Davis's own accounts. His 2019 memoir, titled Compton Street Legend, opens in Las Vegas on the night Tupac was killed. Davis details how he hunted for Tupac and Knight across the city following the brawl involving his nephew.

He wrote that he picked up a gun, got into the Cadillac with three others, and drove around the area looking for Tupac and Knight. When they spotted Tupac in a car, they pulled up alongside. He described the shooting as a direct retaliation for his nephew Anderson being beaten.

In interviews posted on YouTube in recent years, Davis recounted the night Tupac was shot, including that he thought Knight was killed by the first bullet, the routes they waited to find Tupac, and the roles of each person in the attack. He did not name the shooter.

What to expect from the trial

The trial begins Monday and is expected to last four to six weeks. The outcome hinges on Davis's admissions in his memoir and public interviews. Defense attorneys have tried unsuccessfully to have the memoir excluded from the trial.

Under Nevada law, Davis can be prosecuted for murder if he is found to have been the mastermind behind Tupac's killing, even if he did not pull the trigger. The result will depend on whether the jury believes Davis's statements from 2019 were truthful or fabricated, as the defense will argue.

Prosecutors expect to call 35 to 45 witnesses, including police officers, technical experts, and individuals connected to Tupac and Davis. Knight is one of the few people directly involved in the case who is still alive, but he is serving a 28-year prison sentence for the 2015 hit-and-run death of a Compton businessman. He has said he does not want to participate in the trial, but he is on the witness list and could be subpoenaed.

The defense expects to call only a small number of witnesses and has not indicated whether Davis will testify.