Thirty years after Tupac Shakur's death, murder-orchestration trial begins

Thirty years after rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, a trial has begun against one of the men long suspected of involvement: former gang leader Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63. Shakur was shot in September 1996 and died days later from his injuries; the case went unsolved for decades and fueled numerous conspiracy theories.

Prosecutors do not claim Davis fired the fatal shots. Instead, they allege he planned the ambush and supplied the gun used in the attack. Davis has pleaded not guilty and faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

The trial, expected to run about four weeks, leans heavily on Davis's 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend," in which he described the events surrounding the shooting, including an earlier altercation between his nephew and Shakur's group that he said gave his crew reason to retaliate. In the book, Davis expressed remorse but did not identify who actually fired the shots — suspicion has fallen on his nephew, who died in an unrelated shooting in 1998, or another associate who died in 2004.

Davis's defense attempted to have the memoir excluded as evidence, arguing its contents were exaggerated for personal gain, but the judge rejected that request. Prosecutors also plan to introduce statements Davis gave police in 2008 and 2009 in exchange for immunity from drug charges.

Witnesses expected to be called include Marion "Suge" Knight, who was driving the car and was wounded in the shooting but is currently serving a prison sentence for an unrelated offense, as well as Shakur's sister and stepbrother. Jury selection concluded last week, with fans and relatives of Shakur gathering outside the Las Vegas courthouse.