Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Opens in Las Vegas Nearly 30 Years After Rap Icon’s Death

Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot near the Las Vegas Strip, the only person charged in the case is going before a jury.

Jury selection begins Monday in Clark County District Court for Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, who faces one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon. Davis has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors accuse him of organizing the September 1996 drive-by attack; he is not accused of firing the shots.

That distinction matters. Nevada law can allow prosecutors to hold a participant criminally responsible for a killing even when the person did not pull the trigger. The state’s case is expected to rely heavily on Davis’ public interviews and his 2019 memoir, in which authorities say he described being inside the Cadillac involved in the shooting and passing a gun to the back seat.

The defense is expected to challenge how those statements should be interpreted and whether they reliably prove the charge. The trial therefore begins with a basic but essential legal point: Davis is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Shakur was 25 when he was shot on September 7, 1996, while riding with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. He died six days later. The case remained unsolved for decades before Las Vegas police arrested Davis in 2023.

The proceedings are expected to last several weeks. Beyond the courtroom, the trial returns attention to an artist whose writing, performance style and social commentary still shape Hip-Hop worldwide. PowerPage will follow verified court developments while avoiding rumor, unsupported witness speculation and recycled mythology surrounding the case.