Thirty years on, a trial finally opens in Tupac Shakur’s killing

A high-profile murder trial is set to commence in Las Vegas, marking thirty years since rapper Tupac Shakur's untimely death. The proceedings, expected to last a month, may not definitively reveal who pulled the trigger that fateful night, but prosecutors aim to demonstrate that Duane Keffe D Davis, a former South Side Compton Crips leader, orchestrated the killing and supplied the firearm.

If found guilty, Davis faces life imprisonment without parole. The killing of Shakur, known as 2Pac, remains one of America's most notorious unsolved cases, fueling ongoing speculation about his murder and the reasons behind it. Shakur, a key figure in East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry, was fatally shot outside the MGM Grand casino after a Mike Tyson boxing match.

Davis, 63, and others in the Cadillac allegedly pulled up beside Shakur's vehicle, firing shots that claimed his life. The investigation gathered new momentum with the publication of Davis's memoirs in 2019, which detailed his alleged involvement in the crime. However, Davis recently claimed he was in Los Angeles during the incident and has never read his own book, raising doubts about its authenticity.

Despite this, Davis was arrested in September 2023 and now maintains his innocence, asserting that he was framed by co-author and others. As the trial approaches, civil lawsuit claims persist, alleging that individuals involved in Shakur's murder have evaded accountability for three decades.