A man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing is on trial. Here’s what to know

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The killing of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur has been a mystery for decades; now the man accused of orchestrating the 1996 shooting near the Las Vegas Strip is on trial.

Family members of the famed rapper were among supporters who gathered outside a Las Vegas courthouse Monday morning for the beginning of jury selection, which could continue through much of this week.

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“Whoever had anything to do with it, whoever set it up, whoever had any hand in it should be locked up in prison,” said Shakur’s cousin, Kendrick Lesane.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur’s death. At the time, Davis was a leader of the South Side Compton Crips.

Wearing a blue dress shirt and tie, Davis sat quietly next to his attorney Monday while Nevada Judge Carli Kierny asked a group of 75 potential jurors questions, including if they have any medical issues, language barriers or conflicts with serving.

The trial, scheduled to last about a month, will bring to a head one of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world that gripped the public for decades. Shakur, who also went by the stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time.

Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. He was in a black BMW with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight on their way to Club 662, where Shakur was scheduled to perform, when a white Cadillac pulled up beside them. Gunfire erupted. Shakur, who was in the passenger seat, was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.

The case went cold until recent years, when public statements and a tell-all memoir from Davis in 2019 revived it. He was arrested in 2023.

Inside the courtroom at Clark County District Court, seats for the public are in short supply, with a daily lottery for a chance to get one. A room on the second floor of the court will be open to the public and will show a live feed of the trial.

The trial likely won’t answer ‘who pulled the trigger’

Prosecutors are not arguing that Davis is the one who pulled the trigger that night, and the trial likely won’t confirm who fired at Shakur. Instead, prosecutors plan to show that Davis made the calls that led to Shakur’s death and provided the gun used to shoot Shakur.

Davis is the co-author of the memoir “Compton Street Legends,” which describes his exact role in the shooting. The book says that Davis obtained a handgun from an associate and tossed it into the back seat of the Cadillac but did not say who fired the fatal shots.

Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew, has long been considered the suspect who pulled the trigger, but charges were never brought against him in the killing. He died two years after Shakur’s death in an unrelated gang shootout in Compton, California.

Two others — Deandrae “Freaky” Smith and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown — were in the car with Davis and Anderson, but they have since died as well.

Who is expected to testify

Prosecutors expect to call between 35 and 45 witnesses during the trial, ranging from people who saw Shakur moments before he was shot to people who were in both Shakur and Davis’ orbits at the time.

Their witness list includes former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and members of Shakur’s family. However not everyone on the list will necessarily testify. Rather, attorneys may ask potential jurors if they’re familiar with certain names.

Leonard Jefferson, a California resident who pulled up next to the BMW and snapped a photograph, which became the last known photo of Shakur, is expected to testify.

The state is also expected to call Denvonta Lee, who was affiliated with the South Side Crips.

In grand jury testimony, Lee testified that rival gangs, the Crips and Mob Piru, were tied to dueling record labels Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records.

Though he wasn’t there that night, Lee also testified that Anderson didn’t have a clear shot, so Smith took the gun and did the shooting. He also said Davis was in charge and gave the gun to Anderson, who gave it to Smith.

The witness list includes others who previously testified to the grand jury, including Malcolm Greenidge, a friend of Shakur’s who was traveling in his entourage that night. Reggie Wright, who grew up in Compton and did security for Death Row Records, is also expected to testify.

But other witnesses will be new, including a former member of Death Row’s security team and a former member of Mob Piru who was at Club 662 the night Shakur was shot.

Witnesses also include former police officers and detectives, as well as gang experts.

Davis’ defense attorney is expected to call less than a handful of witnesses, including one expert in the area of false confessions and coercive interrogation techniques.

Celebrities could be at the trial

Prosecutors requested to have multiple out-of-state witnesses testify, and it’s unclear who those people are.

One of the witnesses is in prison in California, according to court records. Knight is serving a 28-year prison sentence in California for running over and killing a Compton businessman outside a burger stand in January 2015. He previously said he would not testify in Davis’ case.

As the only other living eyewitness who was in one of the two vehicles that night, Knight’s testimony could make or break the case.

Davis’ defense attorney Michael Sanft told The Associated Press that Knight would be a good witness for Davis’ defense if he did testify.

Fans have also speculated whether Sean “Diddy” Combs will testify. Combs is currently serving a four-year prison sentence in New Jersey following his conviction of prostitution-related charges.

In his book, Davis alleged Combs wanted Knight and Shakur dead and offered Davis money to kill them. Combs has long denied having any involvement in the shooting.

A spokesperson for Combs did not return emailed requests asking whether he plans to testify and his name does not appear on any witness list.