Opening statements begin in long-awaited trial almost 30 years after hip-hop star Tupac Shakur was murdered

The trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a former gang leader, has begun in Las Vegas, nearly 30 years after the murder of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, is accused of planning the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed Shakur, although he did not pull the trigger. According to prosecutors, Davis orchestrated the killing in retaliation for the beating of his nephew, Orlando Anderson, by a rival gang.

Prosecutors, including Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal, have portrayed Davis as the ringleader of the group responsible for the shooting, citing a memoir he co-authored where he wrote in detail about the night of the shooting. Palal told the jury that Davis "did not pull the trigger" but "did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew." The prosecution also presented evidence that Davis had confessed to his role in the murder in interviews with law enforcement, media, and in his autobiography.

Davis has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty, with his attorneys calling the prosecution's narrative "fiction" and dubbing the case a product of a flawed investigation. The trial is expected to feature witnesses who will take the jury back in time to the night Shakur was shot, when gangs had a hold on 1990s hip-hop and distrust in police led to a lack of cooperation.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, KahawaTungu, BBC World, BBC News, Malay Mail — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.