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The Tupac Shakur murder trial has begun in Las Vegas nearly 30 years after the influential rapper was fatally shot. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the only person ever charged in connection with the 1996 killing.
Jury selection began Monday in Clark County District Court. The trial is expected to last about four weeks.
Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Begins With Jury Selection
Davis, 63, faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon. The charge includes allegations that the crime was intended to promote, assist or further a criminal gang.
Davis has pleaded not guilty and has remained jailed since his September 2023 arrest. He could receive life in prison without parole if convicted.
Judge Carli Kierny is overseeing the case. Jury selection is expected to take several days before opening statements and witness testimony begin.
Prosecutors could call between 35 and 45 witnesses. The defense is expected to present a smaller group, including an expert on false confessions and coercive interrogations.
Prosecutors Say Davis Organized the Shooting
Prosecutors do not claim Davis fired the shots that killed Shakur. Instead, they allege he organized the attack and provided the weapon.
The shooting occurred on Sept. 7, 1996, near the Las Vegas Strip. Shakur was riding in a black BMW driven by Death Row Records executive Marion “Suge” Knight.
A white Cadillac pulled beside the BMW while both vehicles were stopped at a traffic light. Someone inside the Cadillac opened fire, striking Shakur several times and wounding Knight.
Shakur died six days later at age 25. His killing became one of the most closely followed unsolved cases in music history.
Gang Dispute Is Central to the Case
Prosecutors contend that the shooting followed a confrontation at the MGM Grand. Shakur, Knight and others had attended a Mike Tyson boxing match earlier that evening.
After the fight, Shakur and members of his group attacked Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson inside the casino. Anderson was Davis’ nephew and a member of the South Side Compton Crips.
Prosecutors describe the later shooting as retaliation for that fight. They allege Davis helped obtain a gun before searching for Shakur’s vehicle.
Davis, Anderson and two other men were reportedly inside the Cadillac. The other three men died before prosecutors filed charges in the case.
Interviews and Memoir Could Become Key Evidence
The prosecution’s case relies heavily on public statements Davis made about the killing. Those statements appeared in interviews, documentaries and his memoir, “Compton Street Legend.”
A judge ruled that prosecutors may use the memoir during the trial. The court also allowed a recorded 2008 police interview involving Davis.
The defense argues that Davis received assurances that the interview would not be used against him. His attorneys also contend that parts of the memoir were fictionalized or exaggerated to sell books.
The murder weapon and Cadillac were never recovered. That missing physical evidence could become an important part of the defense strategy.
Trial May Not Identify the Gunman
Orlando Anderson was long considered a possible gunman, but he denied involvement and was never charged. He died in an unrelated shooting in 1998.
Other testimony has raised questions about whether another passenger fired the weapon. Prosecutors only need to prove their claim that Davis knowingly participated in organizing the killing.
Knight is the only other living eyewitness known to have been inside either vehicle. He previously indicated that he did not plan to testify.
The verdict could resolve Davis’ legal responsibility, but it may not answer every question surrounding Shakur’s death. The trial will nevertheless mark a significant moment for his family, fans and hip-hop history.