World | Deutsche Welle
· collected 2026-08-18 · by Dharvi Vaid Dhulia
The trial over Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder has begun, with prosecutors arguing that Duane "Keffe D" Davis planned and ordered the shooting as an act of gang revenge. Prosecutors claim Davis did not pull the trigger himself but planned the killing in retaliation for his nephew being beaten by a rival gang. The trial is taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Davis has been charged with one count of murder using a deadly weapon. If convicted, Davis faces the possibility of life imprisonment without parole.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Duane "Keffe D" Davis is on trial for orchestrating the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.
- On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was involved in a fight with Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
- Two and a half hours later, Shakur was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting from a white Cadillac.
- Prosecutors say Davis orchestrated the killing as an act of revenge for his nephew's beating by Tupac.
Testimony
- Dr. Lisa Gavin, a medical examiner, testified that Shakur's death was a homicide.
- Former Las Vegas police detective Dean O'Kelley described responding to the scene of the shooting and trying to protect the crime scene.
- James McDonald, an associate of Suge Knight, refused to answer questions about the beating of Orlando Anderson.
Duane "Keffe D" Davis has previously implicated his nephew in the killing. In a 2008 interview with detectives, Davis said that his nephew Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur.
Prosecutors have called Yusef Jah, Davis' ghostwriter, to testify about the book that helped authorities bring charges in the decades-old cold case.
Jurors heard audio of the 2008 interview between detectives and Duane "Keffe D" Davis. In the recording, Davis said that his nephew took the gun and started firing at Tupac Shakur's car.
Written for “Tupac Shakur Murder Trial” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
The murder trial over Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing opened with prosecutors arguing that Duane "Keffe D" Davis planned the shooting.
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Davis → open → shooting
Almost three decades after the drive-by shooting they opened their case by telling jurors the rapper was shot dead in an act of gang revenge masterminded by a mobster.
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rapper → drive → mobster
“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger.
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Davis → pull → trigger
But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal said.
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Palal → plan → nephew
Davis, a one-time leader of the South Side Compton Crips gang, is charged in Clark County, Nevada, with a single count of murder using a deadly weapon.
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Davis → charge → weapon
The 63-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
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old → plead → ?
What the prosecution said about 'shot caller' Davis
Davis ordered the killing after his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, had been beaten by a rival gang, Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told a court in Las Vegas Tuesday.
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Palal → say → Vegas
Palal showed videos Tuesday of Shakur's entourage attacking Anderson.
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entourage → show → Anderson
Tupac is gunned down in a drive-by shooting from a white Cadillac in an act of revenge," the prosecutor told jurors.
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prosecutor → gun → jurors
Palal said that Davis — who has been dubbed by the authorities as a "shot caller" — did not pull the trigger but "he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew".
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he → say → nephew
Palal went on to tell the jury: "Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself," referring to Davis' previous interviews with law enforcement and the media, as well as his autobiography, where the accused describes Shakur's killing.
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accused → go → killing
Davis said in the interviews and his 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend," that he was riding in the car from which Shakur was shot.
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Shakur → say → which
In an interview with a federal task force probing another killing, Davis spoke of the Shakur shooting.
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He described handing a gun to the men in the backseat of the white Cadillac that fired on the rapper's black BMW.
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that → describe → BMW
On Tuesday, prosecutors played audio of Davis explaining the moment Shakur was shot.
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Shakur → play → moment
Davis' defense rails against 'sloppy' investigation
Representing Davis, attorney Michael Sanft called the prosecution's narrative "fiction" during the defense's opening statement.
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Sanft said prosecutors had no real proof that his client was culpable.
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client → say → proof
He said that after 30 years a police investigation has repeatedly failed to turn up a definitive version of events.
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investigation → say → events
He called the investigation "biased," "sloppy" and "incomplete."
"Just look at the actual facts.
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What facts do you have to support any of what Keffe D said in any of his interviews or the book?" Sanft told the jury.
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Sanft → have → jury
Sanft further said the accounts he gave in interviews and his memoir ccould not be corroborated.
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he → say → interviews
Davis was seen at the trial wearing a blue suit and tie.
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He was also seen scanning the public gallery during testimony.
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As per Nevada law, Davis can be charged with murder if he took part in the crime without firing the gun himself.
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he → charge → gun
If convicted, he faces the possibility of life imprisonment without parole.
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he → convict → parole
Meanwhile, the trial is expected to last up to six weeks.
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Tupac Shakur — a cultural icon
Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was 25 when he was wounded in a drive-by shooting on Sept. 7, 1996.
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He succumbed to his injuries in hospital six days later.
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Although his death cut his immensely popular music career short, Shakur remains one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time.
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Shakur → cut → time
Shakur's music often addressed issues facing Black Americans.
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music → address → Americans
He was also a key figure in a hip-hop rivalry pitting the US East Coast against the West Coast.
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Edited by: Louis Oelofse
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