Tupac Murder Trial: Keefe D Back in Court for Day 2

The murder trial for Duane “Keefe D” Davis, the man accused of orchestrating the killing of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, enters its second day in a Nevada courtroom. Opening arguments began on Monday, August 17, nearly 30 years after Tupac was gunned down near the Las Vegas Strip.

Prosecutors argue that Keefe D planned the murder and produced the gun used to kill Tupac, though they acknowledge he was not the trigger man. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis orchestrated the shooting as retaliation for the beating of his nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand earlier that evening. “Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger,” Palal said. “But he did plan the shooting in retaliation for the beating of his nephew”.

Prosecutors are relying heavily on Davis’s own statements over the years. He wrote a tell-all memoir, Compton Street Legend, in 2019, and gave multiple interviews discussing his alleged involvement, which helped revive the long-dormant case. However, Davis has since backtracked, claiming the statements were bluster meant to sell books. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder with a deadly weapon.

Defense attorney Michael Sanft argued that investigators still have little evidence to prove their case. He told jurors that Davis had a habit of talking “bullshit” and that his accounts could not be corroborated. Sanft also raised issues with the investigation, including missing police reports and the reliability of witnesses with criminal records and financial motivations.

On the first day, retired Las Vegas police officer Garry Dale testified that he rode in the ambulance with Tupac after the shooting. He said the rapper repeatedly refused to identify his shooter, replying that he and his crew would “take care of it” themselves. Another former officer, Brent Becker, testified that witnesses at the scene had “skedaddled,” and he struggled to get cooperation from people connected to the case, including Suge Knight, who he believed was lying.

If convicted, Davis faces life in prison.