Tupac’s alleged killer goes on trial 30 years later after writing book detailing the murder

Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the only individual ever charged in the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, has gone on trial in Las Vegas after nearly three decades. Facing a single count of murder with a deadly weapon, prosecutors allege that Davis acted with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang in Shakur's death. Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty and is currently incarcerated.

His trial, expected to last around a month, centers on his 2019 tell-all book, "Compton Street Legend," which outlines his version of the events leading to Shakur's death. The book describes how Davis got a gun and joined three others in a car before spotting Tupac’s vehicle on the night of September 7, 1996. While prosecutors acknowledge the book contains inaccuracies and is "salacious," they argue it generally reflects the provable facts of Davis's life.

Davis's defense is anticipated to focus on disproving the book's false elements to discredit it as evidence. Shakur's murder remains one of hip-hop's most notorious unsolved mysteries, and the trial is unlikely to definitively establish who pulled the trigger.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Chronicle Ghana's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.