Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot near the Las Vegas Strip, the only person ever charged in connection with the hip-hop icon’s killing is on trial.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in Shakur’s 1996 death. Prosecutors accuse Davis of orchestrating the retaliatory shooting after Shakur and others attacked Davis’ nephew at the MGM Grand.
A jury was selected in Las Vegas this week for a trial that could finally answer some of the questions surrounding one of the most famous unsolved killings in American music history.
Here are 10 things to know about Davis and the case against him.
1. He is known as “Keffe D”
Davis, whose full name is Duane Keith Davis, has long been known by the nickname “Keffe D.” He is a reputed member of the South Side Compton Crips.
His connection to Shakur’s death was publicly discussed for years before prosecutors charged him.
Davis is now 63 and on trial in Clark County District Court.
2. His nephew was involved in the MGM Grand fight that preceded the shooting
Davis’ nephew was Orlando Anderson, a South Side Compton Crips member who prosecutors say had a confrontation with Shakur and members of his entourage inside the MGM Grand on Sept. 7, 1996.
Shakur and others were captured on surveillance video attacking Anderson after the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight.
Prosecutors have alleged that the confrontation provided the motive for what happened later that night.
Anderson was killed in an unrelated gang-related shooting in 1998 at age 23.
3. Prosecutors say Davis was the “shot-caller” behind Shakur’s killing
Prosecutors do not allege that Davis personally fired the shots that killed Shakur.
Instead, they have described him as the “shot-caller” who orchestrated a plan to retaliate against Shakur and Knight for the attack on Anderson.
Under Nevada law, prosecutors can pursue a murder conviction against someone accused of aiding or orchestrating a killing even if that person did not pull the trigger.
Davis has pleaded not guilty.
4. Davis has said he was inside the Cadillac involved in the shooting
One of the most important pieces of the case against Davis may be his own words.
Davis has said in interviews and in his 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” that he was inside the Cadillac connected to Shakur’s killing. The Review-Journal reported after Davis’ arrest that he was believed to be the last surviving person who was in the car with Shakur’s killer.
The grand jury that indicted Davis was shown clips from interviews he gave about the killing and was presented information from his book.
His attorneys have challenged how those statements should be interpreted and used.
5. His book could play a major role at trial
Davis’ decision to publicly tell his version of the events surrounding Shakur’s death could prove critical.
His 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” describes his involvement in events surrounding the killing.
Davis’ defense has argued that claims in the book were made for financial gain. But in June, District Judge Carli Kierny ruled that the memoir can be admitted as evidence at his murder trial.
That means jurors could hear Davis’ own published account as prosecutors attempt to prove their case.
6. He spoke about the killing years before he was arrested
Davis’ public statements did not begin with his memoir.
He discussed the Shakur case during a 2009 interview conducted while authorities were investigating him on drug charges. The Review-Journal reported that Davis implicated Anderson in a recording made by former Los Angeles police Detective Greg Kading.
Davis later discussed the case publicly in interviews.
Those statements ultimately became important evidence in the investigation. The Review-Journal explored the unusual legal issue in “How Duane Davis’ statements can be used against him in Tupac case.”
7. His defense argued that he had immunity
A major pretrial fight centered on whether Davis’ earlier statements were protected by an immunity agreement.
His former attorneys argued that Davis had been given immunity from prosecution in connection with statements he made to investigators and asked a judge to dismiss the murder charge.
Prosecutors disputed that argument, saying Davis was not protected by an immunity agreement.
Kierny refused to dismiss the case, allowing the prosecution to move forward.
8. A Henderson search helped revive attention on the case
The first major public sign that the long-dormant Shakur investigation was moving again came in July 2023.
Las Vegas police searched a Henderson home tied to Davis’ wife as part of the homicide investigation.
A search warrant showed investigators were looking for items including photographs, videos, CDs, writings and other documentation that could show Davis’ involvement with the South Side Compton Crips.
Police said documents, electronics and ammunition collected during the search were being evaluated for possible evidentiary value.
9. Police arrested him 27 years after Shakur was shot
On Sept. 29, 2023 — more than 27 years after the shooting — Las Vegas police arrested Davis outside his Henderson home.
A grand jury indicted him on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.
It was the first arrest in Shakur’s killing.
Shakur was shot Sept. 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW driven by Knight near Flamingo Road and Koval Lane. He died six days later at University Medical Center. He was 25.
For decades, no one was charged.
10. He already served prison time in a separate case
Davis’ legal problems have not been limited to the Shakur case.
While awaiting his murder trial, Davis was charged after a December 2024 altercation with another inmate at the Clark County Detention Center.
He was convicted in the jailhouse battery case and in September 2025 was sentenced to 16 to 40 months in prison.
Now Davis faces the far more consequential case that has followed him for decades: whether he bears criminal responsibility for the killing of Tupac Shakur.
His murder trial comes nearly 30 years after the shooting and after decades of speculation, investigations, interviews and conflicting accounts surrounding Shakur’s death.
Davis maintains his innocence.
More coverage: The Review-Journal has a complete Tupac Shakur news and trial page with continuing coverage of Davis’ case and the 1996 killing.
This content was produced with the help of artificial intelligence, based on previous Review-Journal reporting and edited by Review-Journal staff.
