What You Need To Know About The Tupac Murder Trial

Tupac

On Monday (local time), a new trial begins in Las Vegas over the murder of hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur, which happened nearly 30 years ago, after years of delays.

Tupac died after being shot four times on the night of September 7, 1996, during a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip.

While the trial is reportedly expected to take place over a month, it likely won’t make it clear who fired the gunshots that killed the rapper.

The defendant, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, faces trial, with the prosecution arguing that he ordered the murder of the rapper, as well as claiming that he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting. If convicted, Davis faces life without parole in jail.

The trial will reportedly look back on when Death Row Records – which Tupac was signed to – hired the rival group, the South Side Compton Crips, as bodyguards for its artists.

Due to a lack of evidence, Tupac’s murder was a cold case for decades. However, it was revived after Davis penned a memoir, Compton Street Legend, in 2019. In that book, he wrote that he was in the Cadillac with Shakur’s killer when it happened, and provided the gun used. He didn’t mention who fired the gun.

In September 2023, Davis was charged over Tupac’s murder. He was initially indicted on one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon (as noted by The Associated Press, accomplices to a murder can be charged for the crime itself), as well as intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang.

Davis is currently awaiting trial for his alleged role in the shooting and murder of Tupac Shakur and is listed as the primary defendant. He’s the only person ever to have been charged in connection with the rapper’s untimely passing following decades of investigations.

Since the charges were laid, he’s pled not guilty. In a 2025 interview with ABC News, he said, “I’m innocent. I ain’t killed nobody. Never did ever kill nobody. They don’t have no evidence against me. They can’t even put me in Las Vegas.”

Davis also claimed that his co-author inflated his stories for the memoir, saying, “I just gave him details of my life, and he went and did his little investigation and wrote the book on his own.”

In May, Tupac’s stepbrother, Mutulu Shakur Jr., filed a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court.

The lawsuit alleges that there was a “complex conspiracy” to murder Tupac. With the suit, he aims to uncover the identities of the “individuals who were involved” during the discovery process.

“Nearly 30 years after Tupac’s death, in 2023, the first—and only—arrest was made,” the lawsuit reads. “Related grand jury transcripts and a subsequent Netflix documentary have since revealed the existence of a broader, more complex conspiracy to murder Tupac that involved much more than mere retaliation for a prior altercation.”

The suit continues, “Despite this additional information, however, the truth remains elusive. Many individuals who were involved have long since passed away, while others have been hard to identify.

“Yet, one thing is certain: there remain individuals who were involved in Tupac’s murder who, for 30 years, have not been held accountable for their crimes.

“This action seeks to change that and to recover damages for the wrongful death of Tupac on behalf of the Estate of Mutulu Shakur, Tupac’s late stepfather and parent.”