Tupac’s Death: Everything to know as historic murder trial begins today

Thirty years after the murder of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, the long-awaited trial of the man accused of involvement in his killing begins today in Las Vegas, United States.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips gang, is facing trial over one of America’s most famous unsolved celebrity murders.

Davis, 63, has been accused by prosecutors of ordering the killing and providing the gun used in the drive-by shooting that claimed Shakur’s life on September 7, 1996.

The trial is expected to last about a month and may not determine who fired the fatal shots, but prosecutors will attempt to prove that Davis played a central role in the attack.

If convicted, Davis faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

How Tupac Shakur was killed

Tupac, also known as 2Pac, was in Las Vegas to attend a Mike Tyson boxing match at the MGM Grand casino when he became involved in an altercation with Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, a member of the South Side Compton Crips.

The confrontation involved Tupac, Death Row Records boss Marion “Suge” Knight and Anderson, following allegations that Anderson had assaulted a member of Tupac’s group.

Hours later, a white Cadillac reportedly pulled alongside the vehicle carrying Tupac and Knight as they drove through Las Vegas.

Gunshots were fired from the Cadillac, leaving Tupac seriously injured.

The rapper was taken to hospital but died six days later, on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25.

Why the case remained unsolved for decades

For years, Tupac’s murder remained one of the biggest mysteries in music history, with investigators unable to make an arrest due to a lack of evidence.

The case was revived after Davis detailed his involvement in his 2019 memoir, where he admitted he was inside the Cadillac during the shooting.

In the book, Davis said he was seated in the front of the vehicle and handed a firearm to people in the back seat, though he did not identify who fired the shots.

The revelations later became a key part of the investigation, leading to his arrest in September 2023.

Davis has since pleaded not guilty and denied killing Tupac, insisting prosecutors do not have evidence linking him to the murder. Tupac’s legacy and the hip-hop rivalry

The trial is expected to revisit the violent East Coast-West Coast rivalry that dominated hip-hop in the 1990s.

Tupac was signed to Death Row Records, while rival Bad Boy Records was led by Sean “Diddy” Combs and featured Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, who was also murdered months after Tupac’s death.

Known for songs such as “California Love” and “All Eyez on Me,” Tupac remains one of the most influential figures in rap history.

The trial marks the first major courtroom proceeding in the decades-long investigation into his death, but questions surrounding the full circumstances of the killing remain unanswered.