Tupac Shakur murder case: Closing arguments set in Duane Davis trial
Closing arguments begin Monday in the trial of Duane 'Keffe D' Davis for Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder.
The murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur is set to move to closing arguments after the defense rested its case Thursday. Jurors will reconvene Monday to hear final pleas before beginning deliberations in the only prosecution ever brought in the death of the hip-hop legend.
Davis, 63, chose not to testify. The presentation of evidence wrapped up after nine days, with prosecutors resting Wednesday after calling 24 witnesses. The defense's final witness was a retired Las Vegas homicide detective who said he could not independently verify key details of Davis's own accounts.
Shakur was shot multiple times on September 7, 1996, when a white Cadillac pulled alongside his BMW at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip. He died six days later. The driver, Marion “Suge” Knight, survived. The case went cold for decades until Davis's public statements and a 2019 memoir revived scrutiny.
Prosecutors allege Davis orchestrated the killing in retaliation for a casino brawl hours earlier, in which Shakur and others beat Davis's nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. Davis has pleaded not guilty and faces life in prison if convicted of murder with a deadly weapon in furtherance of a criminal gang.
Defense attorney Michael Sanft argued that Davis fabricated or embellished his story for money and notoriety. Retired detective Dan Long testified that he tried but failed to find hospital records confirming Anderson was treated after the casino fight, and could not locate rental records for the white Cadillac Davis described. Long also acknowledged he had no independent facts confirming Davis was in the Cadillac that night.
Prosecutors countered that Davis's account matched what investigators already believed. Long confirmed that Davis identified the same four men investigators suspected were in the Cadillac. Long also said he had intended to seek an arrest warrant after a 2009 interview, but prosecutors at the time told him to wait.
The defense also called two former Las Vegas police officers who were stationed at Knight's home that night. They testified about vehicles coming and going, including a cream- or white-colored Cadillac.
Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Monday morning.