30 years later, a former rival will stand trial for Tupac's murder

Thirty years after the fact, a former adversary is set to face trial for the murder of Tupac Shakur, a crime that transformed the rapper from a figurehead of gangsta rap into a cultural icon.

The intervening three decades have been marked by enigma, elaborate theories, and profound indignation. The drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996, that claimed the life of rap superstar Tupac Shakur, irrevocably altered the trajectory of hip-hop and elevated the artist from a genre representative to a cultural icon. His death became one of popular culture's most enduring mysteries, spawning countless theories but no arrests until 2023, when Duane "Keffe D" Davis was unexpectedly charged with the rapper's murder.

The 63-year-old former gang leader is scheduled to stand trial in Las Vegas, accused of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang. He has entered a plea of not guilty and, if convicted, faces a life sentence without parole.

The trial is anticipated to expose the intricate details of the fierce and lethal East Coast vs. West Coast rap rivalries and the territorial conflicts between the Bloods and Crips street gangs, which were immortalized in 1990s rap lyrics and news reports. It may also feature several celebrity witnesses, including Suge Knight, the former CEO of Death Row Records, who has been considered the last surviving witness to Shakur's death. However, the complex case largely hinges on a single crucial piece of evidence: a book co-authored by Davis, which he contends is partially fictional.

Jury selection for the case commenced on Monday, with opening arguments slated to begin on August 17.

Duane Davis, accused of orchestrating Tupac's murder, is the uncle of Orlando Anderson, an alleged member of the South Side Compton Crips. To comprehend the mythologization of this case, one must revisit the rivalries that transcended the individuals at their core.

In the Los Angeles gang landscape of the 1990s, a brutal turf war raged between the Bloods, often identified by the color red, and the Crips, who typically wore blue. This territorial dispute permeated the airwaves as part of a broader national rivalry: East Coast vs. West Coast rap. This genre dispute was personified by two competing record labels that defined 1990s hip-hop: Knight's Death Row Records and Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records.

"The ironic thing about it is Tupac is actually an East Coast rapper," noted Jeff Pearlman, author of *Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur*. Born in New York City, Tupac relocated to northern California as a teenager. He gained recognition as a Southern California rapper after signing with Death Row Records, which included artists like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.

Santi Elijah Holley, author of *An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created*, suggests that the Death Row persona did not encompass the full story. Tupac's mother, Afeni, was a Black Panther, and he grew up immersed in the Black liberation movement. Holley states that his music became his politics: "His activism was his art, his lyrics." He appeared in several Hollywood films and released hip-hop's first double album, *All Eyez on Me*, which sold over 5 million copies. That album, which debuted months before his death, solidified his place in the canon of gangsta rap, a genre that glorified the violent lives of street criminals and drug dealers. After being shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, he was immortalized as a martyr for the lifestyle he helped popularize.

Tupac and Snoop Dogg were both associated with the LA record label Death Row Records, managed by Suge Knight. That fateful night began with Tupac and Knight attending a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand. Following the match, surveillance footage captured Tupac and members of his entourage, whom police have identified as associated with the Mob Piru Bloods street gang, assaulting a man named Orlando Anderson, an alleged member of the South Side Compton Crips. Approximately three hours after the attack, Tupac was in the passenger seat of Knight's BMW, driving through Las Vegas, when a white Cadillac pulled alongside them and opened fire. Tupac was struck four times and succumbed to his injuries six days later.

For nearly three decades, the killing remained one of America's most notorious unsolved murders. There is no singular explanation for this. Las Vegas police have consistently stated that witnesses refused to cooperate. Members of Tupac's entourage claimed that police initially treated them as suspects and failed to pursue important leads. Within weeks of the shooting, investigators identified Anderson from the MGM footage and questioned him. He denied involvement and was never charged; he was killed in an unrelated shooting in 1998.

Over the years, police say they pursued thousands of tips, but the case stalled due to disappearing witnesses, many of whom were also killed in gang-related shootings, limited physical evidence, and a street code that prohibited cooperation with law enforcement. It was years later when Anderson's uncle, Davis, began to speak, and according to police, he reignited the case.

Months after Shakur was gunned down, Biggie Smalls, also known as The Notorious B.I.G., was killed in a drive-by shooting. Ultimately, the death of another legendary rapper helped unravel Tupac's shooting death. Months after Shakur's demise, Biggie Smalls, or The Notorious B.I.G., was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Both rappers were the stars of their respective rival record labels—Shakur with Death Row Records and Biggie with Bad Boy Records. Biggie's case has remained unsolved, with no arrests or suspects.

In the mid-2000s, the Los Angeles Police Department reopened the investigation and interviewed Davis, who had been at a party with Biggie before the fatal shooting. While Davis claimed to have no information regarding Biggie's death, he possessed knowledge about Tupac's case and revealed that he was in the car when the rapper was shot and killed. He provided this information to police in exchange for not being charged. That agreement held until years later, when Davis publicly disclosed his knowledge.

In 2019, he co-authored a memoir titled *Compton Street Legend*, in which he claimed not only to have been inside the vehicle when Tupac was shot but also to have been the person who "tossed" the gun used to kill him into the backseat of the Cadillac. He never claimed to be the shooter. Davis also elaborated on the shooting to the media, providing detailed information to reporters in interviews. Las Vegas police stated that his public statements had "reinvigorated" the investigation. Over the next couple of years, they corroborated Davis's account, and then in 2023, they searched his home, seizing multiple computers, two tubs of photographs, and a trove of Tupac-related material, including a *Vibe* magazine. He was arrested later that year.

Prosecutors have alleged that Tupac's killing was in retaliation for the beating of Davis's nephew—Orlando Anderson—just hours before the shooting. They claim that Davis was the architect of the crime, who ordered the shooting and supplied the deadly weapon to further gang criminal conduct.

Nevada prosecutors argued that by publicly discussing the events of the night of Tupac's death and writing a book in which he claimed to have supplied the gun, Davis had violated the agreement he made with law enforcement. A judge subsequently sided with the prosecutor's argument, paving the way for Davis's arrest.

Davis and his defense team have contended that the book was co-authored, and sections were embellished or fictionalized for profit, and therefore should not be considered direct admissions. In an interview last week with a local TV news station, Davis denied being in Las Vegas when Tupac was killed and distanced himself from the memoir that lists him as an author. "I did not write that book," Davis told Fox 5. "A ghostwriter wrote that." He also stated that he might take the stand and testify at his trial. "If I have to, I will."

"This is what makes this case so fascinating. The two biggest pieces of evidence against Keffe D came from Keffe D," trial attorney Shaun Kent told the BBC. "Keffe D has the right to take the stand and say 'I made all this up. I lied to sell copies of the book. I lied to the police. I'm a liar but I did not murder Tupac.'"

Davis has also publicly stated multiple times that Bad Boy Records head Sean "Diddy" Combs had offered him $1 million to kill Death Row Records rivals Tupac and Knight. Combs is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence after being convicted of two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution in New York. He has repeatedly denied allegations of involvement in Tupac's death.

Prosecutors have released a list of potential witnesses who could be called to testify, comprising over 200 names, including members of Tupac's family, former mayor of Las Vegas Oscar Goodman, and former Los Angeles police Detective Greg Kading. Prosecutors have also named Knight, although it remains unclear if the rap impresario will testify, as he has previously stated he would not.

"This would be huge as he has never offered law enforcement any information that would lead to the conviction of anyone," Kent said. "This trial is going to be a legal scholar's Super Bowl."