Tupac murder trial opens; prosecutor says Davis planned 1996 killing, did not shoot
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The murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis opened Monday in Las Vegas in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors Davis did not fire the gun but planned the drive-by shooting in retaliation for his nephew's beating. Davis, 63, pleaded not guilty and his attorney called the prosecution account "fiction."
Key Facts
- Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is charged with murder in the 1996 shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.
- Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal said Davis did not fire the gun but planned the shooting in retaliation for the beating of his nephew.
- Davis's attorney Michael Sanft called the prosecution account "fiction" and questioned what facts they had after 30 years.
- First witness Garry Dale said Shakur, in an ambulance after the shooting, refused to say who shot him and said, "We'll take care of it."
Prosecution Case
Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is charged with murder in the September 1996 shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told the jury that Davis did not pull the trigger, but planned the drive-by shooting in retaliation for the beating of his nephew. Palal pointed to Davis's memoir, where he wrote in detail about the night of the shooting, telling jurors they would hear about the plan from Davis himself. Prosecutors said Davis gave a "number" of statements on the case between 1998 and 2003.
Defense Response
Davis pleaded not guilty and sat with his defense team as they questioned why no one had been arrested for nearly three decades. Attorney Michael Sanft called the prosecution narrative "fiction" and asked, "What facts do they have after 30 years?" Davis distanced himself from the memoir, saying he did not write all of it and that parts were fictionalised to sell more copies. His defense team said no one corroborates the prosecution account.
First Witness Account
The prosecution's first witness, Garry Dale, was working for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at the time of the shooting in September 1996. Dale described riding in an ambulance with Shakur after he was shot. He testified that Shakur refused to offer information on what happened or who shot him, saying, "We'll take care of it." Police have long said a lack of cooperation in the case led to dead ends in the investigation.
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