One of Hip Hop’s most highly anticipated murder trials is officially underway, with jury selection beginning in Las Vegas for the first-ever prosecution tied to Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing. Around 75 potential jurors were called in on Monday as attorneys started the process of choosing a panel capable of fairly hearing a case that has fueled decades of headlines, documentaries, interviews, and countless theories. Jury selection is expected to take several days, while the trial could last about a month.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon. While prosecutors do not claim he was the gunman, they allege he acted as the “shot caller” who orchestrated a retaliatory attack after Tupac and members of the Death Row Records entourage assaulted Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, inside the MGM Grand on September 7, 1996.
Later that same night, a white Cadillac reportedly pulled up alongside the BMW being driven by Suge Knight near the Las Vegas Strip. Tupac was riding in the passenger seat when gunfire erupted from inside the Cadillac. The rapper was hit four times and died six days later at the age of 25. Knight survived the shooting despite suffering injuries. Prosecutors contend that Davis was inside the Cadillac along with Anderson and two other men.
The case finally reaching a jury in 2026 is largely based on Davis’ own words. Investigators had long viewed him as a suspect but maintained they did not have enough evidence to file charges. That changed after Davis began publicly speaking about the shooting. In multiple interviews and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, he said he was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac. He also claimed he obtained a gun before passing it to the men seated in the back. The three other alleged occupants of the vehicle have all since died.
Those remarks are now expected to play a key role during the trial. Davis’ legal team argued that a detailed 2008 interview with investigators should not be admitted because it was given under an agreement that protected his cooperation. However, Judge Carli Kierny ruled in July that prosecutors can play the recording for the jury. His attorneys have also maintained that Davis exaggerated his stories about Tupac’s murder for financial gain and public attention.
Prosecutors are not required to prove which of the men in the back seat pulled the trigger in order to secure a conviction. Under Nevada law, someone who knowingly takes part in a murder conspiracy can be held criminally responsible even if another person carried out the fatal shooting. As a result, the trial is expected to center on whether prosecutors can show that Davis played a role in setting the attack in motion.
Suge Knight could emerge as one of the trial’s most closely watched witnesses since he was sitting beside Tupac when the shooting occurred, though it remains uncertain whether he will take the stand. Prosecutors have listed him as a potential witness, but Knight has publicly expressed reluctance to testify.
Speaking outside the courthouse on Monday (August 10), William Lesane, who identified himself as Tupac’s cousin, said the proceedings represent the end of 30 years of pain for the family. If convicted, Davis could face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jury selection will continue before opening statements begin in Clark County District Court.
