Former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis on trial for 1996 Tupac Shakur murder
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former South Side Compton Crips leader, is on trial in Las Vegas on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon to further a criminal gang in the 1996 drive‑by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis has pleaded not guilty and maintains he was not in the vehicle that night. Prosecutors intend to rely on passages from Davis’s 2019 memoir and a 2008 statement he gave to authorities, while the defense argues the case lacks eyewitness testimony. Jury selection began this week and opening arguments are scheduled for August 17, with the trial projected to last roughly a month.
How this was covered
- Left-leaning outlets covered this 8h later
- Right-leaning coverage is the most divided on this story
Why it matters
The case could determine legal responsibility for a high‑profile murder that has remained unsolved for three decades.
How this story developed
- Aug 9 Jailphone from alleged Tupac killer emerges just before Las Vegas murder trial
- Aug 10 A seven‑minute jailhouse phone call by Davis has been submitted as evidence.
- Aug 12 Judge Carli Kierny allowed statements from Davis’s memoir to be admitted as evidence.
