Tupac Shakur murder trial: Everything you need to know nearly 30 years after his death

• Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the only person charged in connection with Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder. Prosecutors allege he orchestrated the drive-by shooting after an earlier confrontation involving his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. Davis has pleaded not guilty.

• The prosecution is relying heavily on Davis’ past statements, including his 2019 memoir and interviews in which he discussed being in the vehicle involved in the shooting. His defence argues that his accounts are unreliable and were exaggerated or fabricated.

• The trial is now hearing witness testimony, with a forensic pathologist detailing Tupac’s fatal gunshot injuries and a former security officer describing the gunfire he heard on the night of the attack. The case could last several weeks

The trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the only person ever charged in connection with the 1996 killing, began in Las Vegas this week. Davis has pleaded not guilty to the charge and faces the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted.

Here is everything you need to know about the case.

Tupac Amaru Shakur was one of the most influential rappers of his generation, known for songs including California Love, Changes, Dear Mama and Hail Mary.

He was signed to Death Row Records and was at the centre of the intense East Coast-West Coast tensions that characterised American hip-hop in the 1990s.

He was only 25 years old when he was killed in Las Vegas in September 1996.

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On 7 September 1996, Tupac attended a Mike Tyson boxing match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight and members of their entourage.

After the fight, a confrontation broke out inside the MGM Grand involving Tupac's entourage and Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, a member of the South Side Compton Crips and Davis' nephew.

Police and prosecutors say Anderson was attacked during the confrontation. They allege the incident became the motive for a retaliatory attack against Tupac later that night.

Later that night, Tupac and Knight were travelling along the Las Vegas Strip in a black BMW when a white Cadillac pulled alongside them.

Gunfire was directed at the BMW, striking Tupac several times. Knight was also injured but survived.

Tupac was taken to hospital, where he died six days later, on 13 September 1996, from his injuries.

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Davis, now 63, is a former South Side Compton Crips leader who was known as a senior figure within the gang.

He was in the white Cadillac during the shooting, according to his own public accounts and the prosecution's case.

Importantly, Davis is not accused of being the person who physically fired the shots. Prosecutors allege that he organised the attack, supplied the weapon and directed the people who carried it out.

This is one of the most important aspects of the case.

Nevada law allows a person to be held criminally responsible for murder if they intentionally participate in or help orchestrate the killing, even if they are not the person who physically fires the weapon.

The indictment charges Davis with murder with the use of a deadly weapon, with an enhancement relating to promoting, furthering or assisting a criminal gang.

Tupac's murder became one of the most famous unsolved cases in music history.

For years, investigators struggled to build a prosecutable case. That changed when Davis began speaking publicly about the shooting.

Las Vegas police have said that information from Davis' interviews and other public statements helped reinvigorate the investigation from around 2018 onwards.

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A major piece of the prosecution's case is Davis' 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.

In the book and in interviews, Davis discussed his involvement in the events surrounding Tupac's killing and acknowledged being in the vehicle from which the shooting occurred.

Prosecutors argue that these statements amount to admissions of his involvement.

The defence, however, has challenged the reliability of Davis' accounts, arguing that he exaggerated or fabricated elements of his story for commercial purposes.

Another significant development came shortly before the trial.

A Nevada judge ruled that prosecutors could use a 2008 police interview with Davis in the case.

Davis had argued that the interview was supposed to remain confidential, but the judge ruled that it could be admitted after considering his subsequent public discussions about the case.

Investigators have long identified Orlando Anderson, Davis' nephew, as a possible triggerman.

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Anderson was never charged in Tupac's killing and was himself killed in a separate shooting in Compton in 1998.

Because Anderson and the other men prosecutors say were in the Cadillac are now dead, Davis is the only surviving person from the vehicle who has been charged in the Tupac case.

Prosecutors argue that the shooting was a revenge attack triggered by the MGM Grand confrontation.

Their case is that Davis, as a senior figure in the South Side Compton Crips, helped organise the retaliation, obtained the firearm and directed the attack.

They have described him as the person who was effectively in charge of the operation.

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Davis has pleaded not guilty.

His defence has attacked the credibility of his previous statements and the prosecution's interpretation of his memoir and interviews.

The defence argues that Davis' public accounts were unreliable and that prosecutors lack sufficient physical evidence linking him directly to the murder.

The trial is expected to last several weeks, with reports putting the anticipated length at roughly four to six weeks.

Prosecutors are expected to call dozens of witnesses as they attempt to reconstruct what happened before, during and after the shooting.

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The jury was selected before opening statements began on 17 August 2026.

The prosecution presented its case as one of revenge, alleging that Davis orchestrated the attack after the confrontation involving his nephew.

The defence has sought to undermine the prosecution's reliance on Davis' past statements, arguing that his words should not automatically be treated as factual admissions.

On Tuesday, 18 August, forensic pathologist Dr Lisa Gavin also testified about the injuries Tupac suffered in the shooting, including wounds to his chest, lung and intestines.

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Suge Knight, who was driving the BMW when Tupac was shot, remains an important potential witness because he was in the car during the attack.

Knight is currently serving a prison sentence for an unrelated conviction. His possible involvement as a witness has been discussed in connection with the trial, although reports indicate that he has said he does not intend to testify.

Davis faces the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted of murder.

The case therefore represents a major moment not only for the Shakur family but also for one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries in hip-hop history.

Tupac's death has remained a defining mystery in popular culture for almost 30 years.

The case has generated countless theories, documentaries and investigations, while his murder became intertwined with the wider story of the 1990s rap rivalry between the East and West Coasts.

Now, for the first time, a defendant is facing a jury over the killing.

But the trial is not a retrial of the entire 1990s hip-hop feud. The central legal question is whether prosecutors can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Davis was criminally responsible for Tupac's murder.

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The trial is continuing in Las Vegas, with prosecutors presenting evidence and witnesses before the defence has its opportunity to respond.

Davis remains presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.

This article reflects information available as of 18 August 2026. Court testimony and evidence are continuing to emerge, so details may change as the trial progresses.