The trial of a man accused of orchestrating the murder of rap star Tupac Shakur has commenced with jury selection, nearly 30 years after the rapper’s shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. Lawyers started assessing potential jurors on Monday for a case centered around a defining moment in hip-hop history and one of its enduring mysteries.
Seven potential jurors were asked to return on Thursday afternoon while the selection process continues through Tuesday and Wednesday. A total of 16 jurors will be selected for the trial, expected to last a month.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon aimed at promoting, furthering, or assisting a criminal gang in Shakur’s death. Davis was a leader of the South Side Compton Crips in California at the time. Shakur’s relatives joined others at a Las Vegas court for the jury selection, which may extend over much of the week.
Shakur’s cousin, Kendrick Lesane, noted, “Anyone involved, planning or participating in any way, should be imprisoned.”
Even 30 years after his death, Shakur remains a cultural icon and is seen as one of the most influential and versatile rappers. His death at 25 came when his fourth solo album had sold 5 million copies. On September 7, 1996, he was in a BMW with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up beside them at a red light. Shakur, sitting in the passenger seat, was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.
The case saw no progress until recent years when public statements and a revealing memoir by Davis in 2019 reignited it. Davis was arrested in 2023. The trial is unlikely to reveal who killed Shakur.
During the Clark County District Court hearing, Davis sat with his lawyer while Nevada Judge Carli Kierny questioned 75 potential jurors about medical issues, language barriers, or conflicts in participating in a month-long trial. Principal Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal listed names involved in the case, including Knight and Sean “Diddy” Combs, to see if potential jurors knew them.
Potential jurors were asked about their favorite books and movies, gang connections, and familiarity with Shakur’s music. One man mentioned listening to it once.
Meanwhile, Davis remained silent and appeared calm, occasionally whispering to his defense attorney, Michael Sanft. Davis opted for the judge to decide his sentence if found guilty, rather than the jury.
Prosecutors do not accuse Davis of pulling the trigger but intend to prove Davis made the calls leading to Shakur’s death and provided the weapon. Davis co-authored “Compton Street Legends,” which vividly describes the shooting. The book states Davis obtained a gun from an associate and tossed it into the Cadillac’s back seat without naming the shooter.
Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’s nephew, is long considered the shooter, but no charges were filed against him. He died in an unrelated Compton gang shootout two years after Shakur.
The other two passengers with Davis and Anderson, Deandrae “Freaky” Smith and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown, have also since passed away.
Fans expressed relief on social media about the trial’s commencement. “This case has lingered over hip-hop for so long it feels strange to see it really progress,” one user wrote in a Tupac fan forum on Reddit.
“He’d only be 55 if alive now,” another commented. “It hits home how young he was and how much more music and films he could’ve made.”
Prosecutors plan to call 35 to 45 witnesses, including those who saw Shakur moments before being shot and others from Shakur and Davis’s circles. The witness list features former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman and Shakur’s family members. However, not all listed will testify.
Lawyer Sanft plans to call a select number of witnesses, including an expert on false confessions and coercive interrogation techniques.
Celebrity appearances could occur during the trial. One potential witness is incarcerated in California, where Knight serves a 28-year sentence for a 2015 Compton hit-and-run. Previously, Knight said he wouldn’t testify in Davis’s case. Being the only other living eyewitness riding in one of the two vehicles that night, Knight’s testimony might be significant.
While fans speculate about Combs’s testimony, his name is absent from the witness list. Currently serving a four-year jail term in New Jersey for prostitution-related charges, Combs has long denied any involvement. In his book, Davis alleged Combs wanted Knight and Shakur dead, offering Davis money for the killings.
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