“Who Killed Tupac?”: 30-Year-Old Unsolved Murder Case Finally Goes to Trial

Jury Selection for Trial Begins
Memoir and Interviews Serve as Key Evidence
Diddy Consistently Denies Involvement

The murder case of Tupac Shakur, hailed as a legend in the American hip-hop scene, is being brought to court nearly 30 years after his death. However, even with this trial, it is highly likely that the actual individual who pulled the trigger will not be identified.

On August 11, Yonhap News, citing AP and other sources, reported that the Clark County District Court in Nevada began the process of jury selection for the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis (63) on this day.

The late Tupac Shakur, revered as a legend in American hip-hop. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Approximately 75 prospective jurors appeared in court. The judge questioned them about any connections to gangs, experience listening to Tupac’s music, and whether they had any personal stakes with those involved in the case. A total of 16 jurors will be selected, and the trial is expected to last up to about five weeks. Davis has been charged with using a deadly weapon to murder Tupac as part of an organized crime operation. He denies the charges, but if convicted, he faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Previously, on September 7, 1996, Tupac was sitting in the passenger seat of a BMW being driven by Marion "Suge" Knight, co-founder of the Death Row Records label, in Las Vegas. When their vehicle stopped at a traffic light, a white Cadillac pulled up beside them and gunfire erupted from inside the car. Tupac, who was shot four times, was rushed to a hospital but died six days later on September 13. He was 25 years old at the time. Knight, who was with him, sustained injuries but survived.

Prosecutors believe that the shooting was triggered by an incident earlier that day in which Tupac’s group assaulted Davis’s nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Davis, according to the prosecution, pursued Tupac’s car along with others in retaliation for Anderson.

A graffiti commemorating Tupac is painted on a pillar near the intersection where Tupac was shot in Las Vegas, USA. Photo by AP Yonhap News.

Nevertheless, the identity of the actual gunman remains a mystery. For many years, this left the case unsolved, but Davis reignited the investigation by speaking about the events in interviews starting in 2018. In his 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend," he revealed that he was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac used in the shooting and that he handed the gun to the back seat. Based on these statements, police reopened the case and arrested him in September 2023.

According to the memoir, four people were inside the Cadillac during the shooting: Davis, his nephew Anderson, DeAndre "Freaky" Smith, and Terrence "Bubble Up" Brown. However, Davis did not specify who fired the gun. The other three passengers, including Anderson, have all died. Davis’s defense argues that prosecutors are relying too heavily on his previous statements and the memoir without decisive evidence and that because the book was co-written it is difficult to distinguish which parts reflect Davis’s own words or fictional embellishments.

The name of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was also mentioned during the trial. In his memoir, Davis claimed that Combs offered money in exchange for killing Tupac and Knight. However, this is a one-sided claim by Davis with no verification, and Combs has consistently denied any involvement in Tupac’s murder. He has not been named as a witness for this trial.

Meanwhile, Tupac was one of the defining rappers of the 1990s, known for songs such as "California Love," "Dear Mama," and "Changes." Through his music, he addressed the realities faced by Black Americans, including poverty, racial discrimination, and police violence, and secured a global following. Combining sales before and after his death, his albums have sold more than 75 million copies worldwide. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.