Tupac Shakur Murder Trial: Jury Selection Begins for Keffe D

Jury selection began on August 11, 2026, in Las Vegas for the trial of Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis, who is charged with orchestrating the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, is the only person ever charged in the shooting, which occurred nearly 30 years ago. He faces life in prison without parole if convicted of murder with the use of a deadly weapon, according to the Daily Mail.

Prosecutors allege that Davis, a former leader of the Southside Compton Crips, planned the retaliatory attack and provided the firearm used in the drive-by shooting, though they do not claim he pulled the trigger, the Daily Mail reports. Davis has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The 1996 Retaliatory Attack

The shooting took place on September 7, 1996, after Tupac Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight attended a Mike Tyson boxing match at the MGM Grand Hotel. According to CNN, the violence stemmed from a conflict between two Compton-based gangs: the Mob Piru, affiliated with Shakur and Knight, and the Southside Compton Crips, affiliated with Davis.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department homicide lieutenant Jason Johansson stated that members of Death Row Records attacked Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, near an elevator bank inside the MGM Grand. Hotel surveillance footage shows Shakur and Knight among the men who kicked and punched Anderson, according to CNN.

Johansson reports that Davis devised a plan to retaliate after learning of the attack. Davis obtained a gun from a close associate and entered a white Cadillac with Anderson, Terrence Brown, and Deandre Smith. Authorities allege Davis provided the weapon to the passengers in the rear seat before the group targeted the black BMW carrying Shakur and Knight.

Shakur was shot four times and died six days later at age 25. Orlando Anderson, who denied involvement in the murder to CNN, was killed in a gang-related shooting in 1998, the outlet reports.

Suge Knight’s Refusal to Testify

Marion “Suge” Knight is the only surviving eyewitness to the shooting, as he was driving the BMW when the gunfire erupted. Despite being listed on a supplemental witness list, Knight has repeatedly stated he will not testify against Davis.

Knight told ABC News that the trial has nothing to do with him and warned that if someone brings him to court, it will hurt whoever brought him. He previously told TMZ in 2023 that he believes police arrested the wrong man and stated he would not take the stand, according to the Daily Mail.

Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for a 2015 hit-and-run crash, the Daily Mail reports.

Evidence and Witness List

The case against Davis was reinvigorated in 2018, according to Lieutenant Johansson. CNN reports that Davis’ own admissions regarding the crime were a crucial component of the investigation. However, The New York Times reports that while Davis’ book suggests he planned the murder, he now claims those accounts were fiction.

A supplemental witness list obtained by USA Today indicates that prosecutors may call several high-profile figures to the stand, including:

• Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is serving a 50-month sentence following a July 2025 conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
• Eugene “Gene” Deal, a former bodyguard for Combs.
• Sekyiwa Shakur, Tupac’s sister.
• Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, Tupac’s stepbrother.
• Katari Cox, a cousin of the rapper.

Trial Timeline and Proceedings

Judge Carli Kierny is presiding over the trial at the Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas. Approximately 75 potential jurors were summoned on August 11, 2026, for voir dire to determine their ability to remain impartial, according to the Daily Mail.

The jury selection process is expected to last about a week, while the trial itself could run for up to five weeks, the Daily Mail reports.