Thirty years after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas, the man accused of orchestrating the killing finally goes on trial Monday — though jurors likely still won’t learn who pulled the trigger.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, faces a murder charge with a gang enhancement in Shakur’s 1996 death. Prosecutors aren’t claiming Mr. Davis fired the fatal shots. Instead, they say he arranged the hit and supplied the gun used to kill the rapper, who was riding in a car with Marion “Suge” Knight when gunfire erupted from a passing Cadillac.
Mr. Davis is the last man standing among those allegedly in that Cadillac. His nephew, long suspected as the shooter, died in an unrelated shootout two years after Shakur’s death. Two other men in the car have since died as well, leaving Mr. Davis alone to answer for a killing that has haunted hip-hop for decades.
The trial could bring star power to the courtroom. Knight, now serving a 28-year sentence for an unrelated killing, could be called to testify but has said he won’t. Sean “Diddy” Combs, currently imprisoned on prostitution-related charges, has been named in Mr. Davis’ own memoir as having offered money to kill Knight and Shakur — an allegation Combs denies.
Jury selection begins Monday, with the trial expected to last about a month.
Read more:
• A man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing is on trial. Here’s what to know
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