Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was killed, the long-unsolved case is finally heading to trial. Duane “Keefe D” Davis, who is accused of orchestrating the rapper’s murder, is now set to face a jury after the court finalized the panel for the highly anticipated case.
According to an NBC News report shared by No Jumper on Instagram, the Las Vegas court selected a jury made up of six men and 10 women. No additional details about the jurors had been released as of press time. Opening statements are expected to begin on Monday, August 17.
Keefe D has pleaded not guilty to the murder. Prosecutors allege that he ordered the killing of the Hip Hop icon and supplied the firearm used in the fatal shooting.
The 16 jurors will now hear testimony, review the evidence presented by both sides, and decide whether prosecutors have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Davis was responsible for Tupac’s murder. Given the complexity of the case, many expect the trial to be anything but straightforward.
In recent weeks, Keefe D has shifted blame for Tupac Shakur’s murder to someone else. He now claims that his past admissions about the killing and his alleged role in it were fabricated for financial gain, instead accusing Reggie Wright Jr., the former head of security at Death Row Records, of being responsible.
Wright Jr. has firmly denied those claims, disputing Keefe D’s account and arguing that the two were never as close as Davis has suggested. Over the years, numerous theories have emerged about Tupac’s murder, though it remains unclear whether any of them will play a role during the trial.
Meanwhile, Keefe D’s previous statements about the case will be presented as evidence despite efforts by his defense team to keep them out. Jurors are expected to examine his remarks from police interviews, his memoir, and other public statements to determine whether they align with the physical evidence presented by prosecutors.
Now that jury selection is reportedly complete, the long-awaited trial is finally set to move forward nearly three decades after Tupac’s death. Even so, major questions remain surrounding the evidence and the prosecution’s case, leaving it up to the jury to decide how much weight Keefe D’s past statements should carry.
