Nearly 30 years after rap icon Tupac Shakur was killed, the long-awaited trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis—the man accused of orchestrating the murder—is finally underway. Tupac Shakur‘s case has haunted hip-hop culture for three decades, and the courtroom has already delivered several jaw-dropping moments in just the first week.
Prosecutors allege Davis, a former Los Angeles gang leader, planned the drive-by shooting in retaliation after Tupac and his entourage beat Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, at the MGM Grand hours earlier. Tupac Shakur was shot in a white Cadillac on September 7, 1996. Davis is charged with organizing the hit, not pulling the trigger. He pleaded not guilty.
Shooting Erupts Near Courthouse
The trial got an eerie dose of déjà vu Tuesday when gunfire was reported near the Las Vegas courthouse while proceedings were underway, according to PEOPLE.
The incident happened shortly after members of Tupac’s family left the courthouse during a lunch break. Police responded, but no victims or confirmed crime scene were found, and the trial continued. The circumstances surrounding the reported gunfire remain unclear.
Keffe D’s Own Words Played
One of the prosecution’s most powerful pieces of evidence is also one of its simplest: Davis talking.
Jurors heard portions of a 2008 interview in which Davis described being in the white Cadillac involved in the shooting and said he handed a gun to people in the back seat, according to Rolling Stone.
“He rolled down the window, popped ’em,” Davis said then of Pac’s alleged shooter. “If they drove on my side, I would have popped ’em, know what I’m saying. But they was on the other side.”
Prosecutors have also pointed to Davis’ 2019 memoir and other public interviews as evidence that he knew more about the killing than he now admits.
Keffe D’s Defense: ‘I’m a Liar’
Davis’ attorneys are essentially asking jurors to believe that the defendant’s most damaging statements should not be trusted.
His legal team called the prosecution’s version of events “fiction” and argued that Davis exaggerated his involvement for money and attention, KLAS reported. The defense has also attacked the investigation, pointing to missing evidence and questions about whether Davis’ claims were ever independently corroborated.
That creates the central battle of the trial: Is Keffe D finally telling the truth, or has he spent years telling increasingly dramatic stories?
Diddy Gets Mentioned
The trial has also revived one of hip-hop’s longest-running unconfirmed conspiracy theories: whether Sean “Diddy” Combs had anything to do with Tupac’s murder.
Davis has previously alleged that Combs offered money for a hit involving Tupac and Suge Knight, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Combs has repeatedly denied any involvement, has never been charged, and has not been accused of any wrongdoing by prosecutors in the case against Davis.
Jurors Witness Violence Preceding Tupac’s Death
Prosecutors have spent the opening days building their revenge narrative, including showing surveillance footage of Tupac and his entourage attacking Anderson at the MGM Grand.
After nearly three decades of rumors, documentaries, interviews and conspiracy theories, a jury is finally being asked to separate what people have said about Tupac’s murder from what prosecutors can actually prove.
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