A Las Vegas court is set to hear closing arguments today in the trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a former South Side Compton Crips gang leader. Davis, 63, is accused of ordering the murder of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur in 1996.
Prosecutors allege that Davis led a group of men to kill Shakur in retaliation for the beating of his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson. Davis has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Police reportedly suspected Davis for a long time but did not have sufficient evidence to charge him until he discussed his story in media appearances and a 2019 memoir. This book, along with recordings of meetings with investigators, forms a significant part of the prosecution's case.
During the trial, prosecutors presented eight hours of recordings where Davis described events from the night of 7 September 1996. Davis wrote in his book that he had planned retaliation after Shakur's entourage beat his nephew. Prosecutors are likely to argue that Davis's story is consistent and constitutes an admission to arranging Shakur's killing, which is sufficient for a murder charge under Nevada law.
Davis's attorney, Michael Sanft, has attempted to portray these statements as exaggerated claims made by a man seeking to profit from public interest in Shakur's unsolved murder. Prosecutors have not named the individual who fired the shots, and the three other men reportedly in the car have since died.