Tupac Shakur Murder Trial: Duane “Keffe D” Davis Faces Murder Charge

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, is on trial in Clark County, Nevada for the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur. Davis has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors allege he obtained the .40-caliber Glock used in the attack and gave it to his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, who fired the fatal shots. The trial, expected to last up to six weeks, includes a five-hour video of a 2008 recorded interview in which Davis described the shooting.

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The shooting followed a confrontation at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Early police work identified Anderson as a suspect from surveillance video. In December 2008, detectives Daryn Dupree and Greg Kading recorded a “proffer” interview with Davis, during which he recounted the events and implicated Anderson. Davis repeated the account in his 2019 memoir, *Compton Street Legend*. After a 2023 arrest, he became the sole person charged.

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• 1996 – Tupac Shakur is shot; Anderson identified as an early suspect.

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• December 2008 – Davis gives a recorded interview to LAPD detectives.

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• 2019 – Davis publishes a memoir repeating his 2008 statements.

Rolling Stone

• September 2023 – Davis is arrested and charged with murder.

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• 2024 (trial start) – Opening statements; prosecutors present the recorded interview and other evidence.

The Independent

• Defendant: Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63.

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• Charges: One count of murder with use of a deadly weapon.

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• Evidence: Five-hour video of the 2008 interview; testimony linking a .40-caliber Glock to Davis; surveillance video placing Anderson at the scene.

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• Trial length: Projected up to six weeks, with several weeks of witness testimony already presented.

The Independent

Clark County Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal argued that Davis’s 2008 statement “essentially confesses” to the shooting and that Davis later “made the details… fair game” by repeating them publicly. Prosecutors say the interview shows Davis’s direct involvement and coordination of the gun hand-off.

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Defense attorney Michael Sanft maintains that the interview was never granted immunity and that Davis fabricated the story for personal gain, asserting that authorities “didn’t find it credible” and failed to corroborate his claims.

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Former LAPD detectives Dupree and Kading described the interview as a surprise, noting that Davis volunteered the details without prompting. Dupree testified investigators believed Davis was truthful about handing the gun to Anderson.

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• “Don’t bullshit me, and I won’t bullshit you all,” — Duane Davis, the defense lawyer

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• “We sat in his garage and advised him of what we had,” — Daryn Dupree

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• “It’s because they knew he was full of crap,” — Michael Sanft

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Jurors will continue to view the recorded interview and hear testimony from former gang members and law-enforcement officials. The trial is slated to proceed for several more weeks, after which the jury will decide whether Davis’s statements constitute credible evidence of his involvement in the 1996 shooting.

The Independent