Duane Davis on Trial for Tupac Shakur's Murder

The trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis commenced in Las Vegas, nearly 30 years after the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur on September 7, 1996. Prosecutor Binu Pilal stated that Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, ordered the killing as revenge for a beating his nephew, Orlando Anderson, received from Shakur.

Pilal detailed that Shakur participated in the beating of Anderson just hours before he was shot in a drive-by shooting from a white Cadillac. Although Davis did not pull the trigger, he allegedly handed the gun to the shooter.

Over the years, Davis has confessed to his involvement in the murder in various interviews and an autobiography. He faces charges that could lead to life imprisonment without parole if convicted.

The trial also revisits the infamous East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry, with Shakur associated with Death Row Records and Davis linked to Bad Boy Records.