LAS VEGAS — Duane Davis, also known as “Keffe D,” pleaded not guilty to murder with the use of a deadly weapon in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. The trial begins with jury selection on Monday and is expected to last about a month.

Prosecutors allege Davis was the “shot caller” of the group that fatally shot Shakur and wounded Marion “Suge” Knight. The indictment states Davis allegedly killed Shakur, aided and abetted the killing by obtaining a firearm and giving it to another person, and conspired to carry out the killing. Prosecutors allege Davis was in a car with Orlando Anderson and threw him the gun used to shoot Shakur four times.

The prosecution's case is largely built on Davis's own words, including his book, podcast and documentary interviews, and statements to police. Prosecutors wrote in a recent filing, “In this case, almost all of the evidence the state will seek to introduce, will be to establish the credibility of Defendant’s various accounts of his role in the killing of Tupac Shakur.” The jury will not have a murder weapon, getaway vehicle, or surveillance video of the shooting.

Davis faces up to life in prison if convicted. Since his arrest, he has said his prior statements were false and an attempt to sell books. He has blamed his co-author for inserting false information into his book.

CNN Chief Legal Analyst Laura Coates said it was quite the reversal and that such reversals are rare. CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson said Davis is the defendant but also effectively serves as the prosecution's star witness.

Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson boxing match. He was riding with Knight on the Las Vegas Strip when the shooting occurred. On the night of the shooting, Shakur had an altercation with Orlando Anderson in the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel.

Anderson was Davis's nephew. Davis and his crew took a rented white Cadillac to look for Shakur and Knight. They encountered Knight and Shakur around 11:15 p.m. as the pair were on their way to night spot Club 662.

Davis allegedly pulled up alongside Shakur and Knight's black BMW with Knight behind the wheel. A law enforcement insider stated that Davis was in the front passenger seat with a.40-caliber Glock. Davis claims in his book he tossed the Glock in the backseat after they stocked up on Dom Perignon at a liquor store.

Davis wrote in his book, “Tupac made an erratic move and began to reach down beneath his seat. Pac pulled out a strap, and that’s when the fireworks started. One of my guys from the back seat grabbed the Glock and started bustin’ back.” Davis has maintained that Anderson pulled the trigger.

Davis is a member of the South Side Compton Crips gang. In his book, he wrote that he told Anderson, “We couldn’t let no record company studio gangsters do us like that.” Two other people were in the car with Davis and Anderson that night but have since died. Anderson died at age 23 in a gang shootout two years after Shakur's death.

Shakur died from his injuries six days after being shot. Davis was first named as being behind the hit in Los Angeles detective Greg Kading’s 2011 book “Murder Rap.” The Los Angeles Police Department brought Davis in for questioning in December 2008. During the 2008 questioning, Davis said, “I can’t tell you anything about [Biggie]. But I can tell you about the case in Las Vegas.” Davis was given a proffer agreement during the 2008 investigation.

A proffer agreement prevents self-incriminating statements made during interviews from being used to prosecute the subject. In the 2008 proffer interview, he said Shakur and Knight had assaulted Anderson. He said he obtained a gun and went searching for Shakur and Knight with Anderson and two others to retaliate. He said Anderson, in the back seat, fired the fatal shots.

In 2018, Davis agreed to an interview about the killing in BET’s “Death Row Chronicles.” In the 2018 interview, he said, “Going to keep it for the code of the streets. It just came from the backseat, bro.” Davis published a memoir titled “Compton Street Legend” in February 2019. He has claimed his memoir was penned by a ghostwriter.

On the day of his arrest in September 2023, an arresting officer asked Davis, “What they got you for, man?” Davis replied, “The biggest case in Las Vegas history.” Days after his arrest in 2023, Davis made a seven-minute jail call to a woman whose identity was not revealed. In the jail call, the woman asked Davis, “What’s this book they say you wrote?” Davis replied, “Oh, yeah, I did.” The woman in the jail call referred to Davis as her “husband,” although Davis is married to someone else. Devonta “Dirt Rock” Lee gave key testimony in the Grand Jury indictment and will be a witness in the trial. Duane Davis and Marion “Suge” Knight are the only people alive who can testify about the shooting. Knight is serving a 28-year sentence for fatally running over a rival record label owner with a truck in 2015.

Why It Matters

This trial represents the first criminal prosecution stemming from Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing, ending decades without formal charges. With Davis and Marion 'Suge' Knight as the only living individuals who can testify about the shooting, the proceedings rely heavily on Davis's prior public admissions and statements to police. The outcome determines whether a high-profile cold case from the hip-hop era results in a conviction based largely on a defendant's own contradictory accounts.