The murder trial over the death of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur is set to begin in Las Vegas on Monday, with jury selection expected to take several days, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
Nearly three decades after Shakur was killed, Duane “Keffe D” Davis will stand trial for allegedly orchestrating the rapper’s murder.
Davis was arrested in 2023 and faces a charge of murder with a deadly weapon, with an allegation that the crime was committed to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.
Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September, 1996.
He was riding in the passenger seat of a BMW driven by former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight when another vehicle pulled alongside them and opened fire.
Shakur was hospitalised and died six days later, aged 25.
His death became one of the most enduring unsolved cases in popular culture, fuelling decades of speculation and conspiracy theories.
Davis, a self-described former South Side Compton Crips leader, has long been considered a potential suspect.
Prosecutors allege that he helped organise the shooting and supplied the weapon, although he is not accused of being the gunman.
A key piece of evidence against Davis is his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, in which he wrote that he had provided the gun used in the shooting.
Davis has since pleaded not guilty and distanced himself from the book, arguing that its claims were exaggerated or fabricated to generate publicity and sales.
His lawyers have also challenged the prosecution’s reliance on statements from the memoir, arguing that they were made for entertainment and commercial purposes rather than as a confession.
Knight, who is serving a prison sentence for an unrelated manslaughter conviction, recently told ABC News that he would not co-operate with authorities in the case.
The investigation has also long been linked to the 1990s East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry.
Shakur was signed to Death Row Records, which was associated with the Bloods, while Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records was viewed as a rival label linked to the East Coast scene. Combs has repeatedly denied involvement in Shakur’s killing.
Davis is the only person to have been arrested in connection with Shakur’s death since the rapper was killed.
The trial is expected to last around a month. If convicted, Davis could face life in prison.
