Duane 'Keffe D' Davis Tupac Murder Trial Begins In Las Vegas
Jury selection began Monday, August 10, 2026, in Las Vegas in the trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, who is charged with murder in Tupac Shakur's death.[1]
Prosecutors say the trial will focus on proving Davis was the "shot caller" who obtained and provided the handgun used in the attack, not on identifying who pulled the trigger.[2] They plan to rely heavily on Davis's 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend and a recorded 2008 police interview; his lawyers unsuccessfully sought to exclude both as fictionalized.[2] Davis has been jailed since late 2023, has pleaded not guilty, and the trial is expected to run about a month.[2]
On September 7, 1996, prosecutors say Davis ordered the shooting in retaliation after Tupac and his entourage beat Davis's nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, at the MGM Grand earlier that night.[2] Anderson long was considered the suspected shooter but was never charged and died in a 1998 gang shootout.[1]
Judge Carli Kierny is presiding, and courtroom seating is limited with a daily public lottery and an overflow room carrying a live feed.[1] Outside the courthouse, Tupac's stepbrother Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur said he was "cautiously optimistic" and hoped the trial would be fair and reveal the truth.[2] His cousin Kendrick Lesane called Shakur "an angel from God" and said anyone involved "should do significant time." PBS
Show source details & analysis (3 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- Jury selection in Duane "Keffe D" Davis’s trial began Monday, August 10, 2026, in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas with Judge Carli Kierny presiding.
- Davis faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon with intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in the death of Tupac Shakur.
- Prosecutors say the case will focus on proving Davis was the "shot caller" who obtained and provided the handgun and that gunfire came from the white Cadillac he was riding in, rather than identifying the triggerman.
- The state plans to rely heavily on Davis’s 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend and a recorded 2008 police interview — both of which his lawyers unsuccessfully sought to exclude, arguing the book is fictionalized.
- Prosecutors allege Davis ordered the September 7, 1996, shooting in retaliation after Tupac and his entourage beat Davis’s nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, at the MGM Grand earlier that night.
- At the time of the shooting, Davis was a leader of the South Side Compton Crips, and his memoir describes his claimed role without naming who fired the shots; Orlando Anderson long had been suspected but was never charged and died in a 1998 gang shootout.
- Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, has been jailed since late 2023, has pleaded not guilty, and the trial is expected to last about a month.
- Courtroom seating will be limited with a daily public lottery and an overflow room showing a live video feed, and relatives including Tupac’s cousin Kendrick Lesane and stepbrother Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur outside the courthouse urged that anyone involved "should do significant time" while expressing hopes for a fair process.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms that jury selection in Duane "Keffe D" Davis's trial began Monday, August 10, 2026, in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas with Judge Carli Kierny presiding.
- Specifies the exact criminal charge Davis faces: one count of murder with a deadly weapon with intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Tupac Shakur's death.
- Clarifies prosecutors' theory that Davis allegedly obtained the handgun and provided it to occupants of the white Cadillac, rather than being the identified triggerman.
- Notes that seats inside the courtroom will be limited, with a daily public lottery for attendance and an overflow room showing a live video feed.
- Reports that Tupac Shakur's cousin Kendrick Lesane attended outside the courthouse on the morning of August 10, 2026, calling Shakur "an angel from God" and saying that anyone involved "should do significant time."
- Reiterates that Davis was a leader of the South Side Compton Crips at the time of the shooting and that his memoir "Compton Street Legends" describes his claimed role in the events, without identifying who fired the shots.
- Restates investigative context that Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson has long been considered the suspected shooter but was never charged and died in an unrelated 1998 gang shootout.
- The CBS article confirms that Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is scheduled to go to trial on Monday, August 10, 2026, in Las Vegas on one count of murder with a deadly weapon with intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.
- The piece specifies prosecutors' theory that the trial will focus on proving Davis as the "shot caller" who provided the gun, not on identifying who actually pulled the trigger, and that gunfire came from the white Cadillac Davis was riding in.
- The article details that the state’s case leans heavily on Davis’s 2019 memoir "Compton Street Legend" and a recorded 2008 police interview; his lawyers tried but failed to exclude both as evidence, arguing the book is fictionalized.
- It adds context that prosecutors allege Davis ordered the shooting as retaliation after Tupac Shakur and his entourage beat Davis’s nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, at the MGM Grand hours before the September 7, 1996 attack.
- The article notes Davis has been jailed since late 2023, has pleaded not guilty, and that the trial is expected to last about a month.
- CBS quotes Tupac’s stepbrother Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur describing the last 30 years as exhausting and saying he is "cautiously optimistic" and hopes the trial is fair and reveals the truth.