RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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What to Know
Duane “Keffe D” Davis is on trial for the murder of rap artist Tupac Shakur on the night of Sept. 7, 1996, in Las Vegas.
Prosecutors contend that Davis did not pull the trigger, but planned the shooting that killed the rap icon at 25 in retaliation of the beating of his nephew in the lobby of the MGM Grand.
The defense labelled the prosecution’s case “fiction” and said Davis wasn’t previously charged for the 1996 killing because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”
No one had been charged in the shooting that gripped the hip-hop community until Davis was indicted in 2023.
Central to the case is Davis’ 2008 interview with a federal task force investigating the killing of Shakur’s rival, the Notorious B.I.G., March 9, 1997, outside the Petersen Automotive Museum.
Davis instead spoke about the Shakur shooting and described handing a gun to the men in the back seat of a white Cadillac that fired on a black BMW with Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight inside.
If convicted, Davis faces life in prison.
Testimony in the long-awaited murder trial of Tupac Shakur resumed Tuesday with jurors viewing security camera video from the night the hip-hop icon was shot and killed hours after a Las Vegas casino brawl.
Prosecutors contend that Duane “Keffe” Davis, a former LA gang leader and the only person ever charged in the crime, planned the shooting that shook the hip-hop world on the night of Sept. 7, 1996 , and portrayed him as the “one person who has a hard time being silent.” Davis is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur’s death.
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He pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Davis faces life in prison.
“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger, but he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.”
Palal showed jurors video of Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson outside the boxing match at the MGM Grand hours before the shooting on Sept. 7, 1996. Earlier that night, Shakur was at the Mike Tyson–Bruce Seldon heavyweight fight before the brawl in the casino lobby.
Davis spent the next two hours planning how to get even, Palal said.
On Tuesday, Michael Ingram, custodian of records at the MGM Grand, testified that he reviewed security camera video recorded on VHS tapes from the night of the fight. The videos, displayed for jurors in court as Ingram provided details about what was happening, showed Shakur and Knight moving through a crowd of people and leaving the casino toward the valet area.
The video then showed security and police arriving at the scene and talking to Anderson, who was wearing a number 13 Dan Marino Miami Dolphins jersey.
Shakur and Knight went back to their hotel before their BMW was pulled over by police in a traffic stop. Las Vegas police officer Garry Dale testified Tuesday how he and another officer stopped a car carrying Knight and Shakur because the vehicle didn’t have a license plate.
They let the pair go with a warning.
About 10 minutes later the two officers responded to a call about a shooting and found Shakur being pulled from the car by EMTs, Dale said. Knight had been grazed by bullets, but told the officers to take care of Shakur, he testified.
Autopsy images in court
A former Las Vegas police crime scene analyst who was present at Shakur’s autopsy and the forensic pathologist for Clark County also testified Tuesday morning. During their testimony, autopsy photos were presented in court as they forensic pathologist explained the wounds.
The images were not shown on the live video feed of the trial. Most of Shakur’s family members who were in court left before the images were displayed.
Dr. Lisa Gavin, who was not at the autopsy but called to testify because the examiner from 30 years ago has since died, said one of three bullets entered Shakur’s chest near his armpit and traveled through his chest, including through a lung. That caused his lung to collapse and bleed, and doctors ultimately removed the damaged lung in an effort to save his life, she said.
Additional bullets damaged his intestines and other parts of his body, she said.
Shakur died at a hospital six days after he was shot.
Attorneys have repeatedly referenced Davis’ own words related to the killing, including in documentaries, an autobiography and a 2008 interview with a federal task force investigating the killing of Shakur’s rival, the Notorious B.I.G. The Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist was shot March 9, 1997 outside the Petersen Automotive Museum at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue on LA’s Miracle Mile.
Instead of talking about that shooting with investigators, Davis spoke at length about the Shakur shooting and described handing a gun to the men in the back seat of a white Cadillac that fired on a black BMW with Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight inside.
Tuesday’s proceedings began with the jury of 10 women and six men hearing more of a recording with Davis and investigators following the shooting death of the Notorious B.I.G., aka Christopher Wallace.
The prosecution said it plans to call 35 to 45 witnesses.
Opening statements
Palal told jurors Davis held onto a hatred for Shakur for decades that drove him to finally speak on the killing. He said as early as 1998, the defendant talked to the FBI and admitted he had been in Las Vegas the night of the shooting. He spoke again in 1999 to the FBI and said again he was in Las Ve...
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