Tupac Shakur murder: Jury selection begins in Las Vegas trial for suspect Duane 'Keffe D' Davis
Tupac murder case: Jury selection begins for Keefe D trial
Jury selection begins Monday ahead of the month-long trial for Keefe D in the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur. LiveNOW's Josh Breslow spoke with former prosecutor Mark Astor about the case.
LOS ANGELES - Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of the man accused of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur. Duane "Keffe D" Davis' trial is happening nearly 30 years after the deadly drive-by-shooting in Las Vegas.
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Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is charged with a single count of murder by use of a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.
Davis faces a single count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur's death. Prosecutors say Davis led a group of men to kill Shakur, 25, one of rap's most commercially successful and influential artists, in a 1996 drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. He has pleaded not guilty and has been jailed since late 2023.
Duane 'Keffe D' Davis trial
Dig deeper:
Duane "Keffe D" Davis’ trial is expected to last up to six weeks and may feature testimony from Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight. The former rap mogul was with Shakur the night he was killed and is now serving a 28-year prison sentence on an unrelated voluntary manslaughter conviction.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors hope to prove that Davis called the shots in and provided the gun used in the crime. Gunfire came from the Cadillac that Davis was in, and he's one of the only people there that night who is still alive.
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Additionally, the prosecutors' case relies on "Compton Street Legend," the book Davis co-authored about the shooting and his time in the Crips, and police and media interviews he participated in.
The AP reported that Davis' lawyers unsuccessfully fought to block the use of the book and a recording of a 2008 police interview in the trial.
His attorneys contend that the book was fictionalized and had a co-author, making it impossible to know which parts Davis wrote. The lawyers also argued Davis' interview with a federal task force probing the deaths of Christoper Wallace and Tupac Shakur was supposed to be confidential and not used against him.
What they're saying:
According to the Associated Press, questions posed to potential jurors on Monday included their favorite books and movies, and whether they had listened to Shakur's music.
Tupac murdered in Las Vegas shooting
The backstory:
On Sept. 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight was driving. Shakur and Knight had just watched Mike Tyson defeat Bruce Seldon in a boxing match and were traveling to a nightclub where Shakur was scheduled to perform.
At a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, a white Cadillac pulled up beside them, and a shooting occurred. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived with minor injuries. Knight is serving a 28-year prison sentence for a deadly hit-and-run.
No weapon was found in Knight and Shakur’s car, according to retired Las Vegas police Detective Clifford Mogg, who was assigned to the investigation in early 2018.
The Associated Press reported that the case went cold until Davis began making public statements about his involvement as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips.
In 2019, he published a tell-all memoir. The book, along with interviews Davis gave, revived the police investigation.
Shakur's legendary rap career was highlighted by more than 75 million records worldwide with hits including "California Love," "Changes" and "Dear Mama."
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters, and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Orlando.