Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Duane Davis murder trial opens in 1996 Tupac Shakur killing
A long time ago, in 1996, a very famous singer named Tupac Shakur was shot while riding in a car and died.
For almost 30 years, nobody was arrested for the shooting.
Now a man named Duane Davis is on trial for helping plan it.
He says he did not do it.
The people accusing him say he planned the shooting as payback because his nephew was hurt in a fight earlier that same day.
They say Davis did not pull the trigger but told others what to do.
Witnesses are telling the jury what they saw and heard that night.
Davis's lawyers say the evidence is very old and not strong enough.
Tupac's family came to watch the trial.
The trial is expected to last about one month.
Duane Keith Davis, 63, pleaded not guilty to one count of murder with a deadly weapon for the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
Prosecutors allege Davis orchestrated the drive-by shooting as revenge for an assault on his nephew Orlando Anderson, though he did not fire the shots himself.
The trial opened in Las Vegas with testimony from four witnesses, including a former Las Vegas police officer and a retired LAPD detective.
Defense attorney Michael Sanft questioned why Davis was not charged earlier and described a former detective's work as "biased, sloppy, and incomplete."
Davis, indicted in 2023 as the first and only person charged in the case, faces a trial expected to last about a month.
- Who
- Duane Keith Davis, 63, is the defendant; Tupac Shakur was the victim.
- What
- Opening of Davis's murder trial for the 1996 drive-by killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
- When
- The killing occurred on September 7, 1996; the trial opened on Monday in Las Vegas.
- Where
- Las Vegas.
- Why
- Prosecutors allege Davis orchestrated the shooting as revenge for an assault on his nephew Orlando Anderson earlier that day.
Prosecution
Defense
Evidence reliability
Prosecution
Surveillance footage, audio recordings and witness testimony establish a timeline of the night of the shooting.
Defense
The evidence is old and weak; one former detective's work was "biased, sloppy, and incomplete."
Davis's role
Prosecution
Davis orchestrated the drive-by shooting as an act of revenge, though he did not fire the shots himself.
Defense
No reliable evidence directly connects Davis to the killing.
Davis's past statements
Prosecution
Audio of Davis speaking in 2008 about the night of the shooting supports the case.
Defense
The statements are "bulls**t" and should be dismissed.
- Defendant
- Duane Keith Davis, 63
- Charge
- One count of murder with a deadly weapon
- Plea
- Not guilty
- Victim
- Tupac Shakur
- Date of killing
- September 7, 1996
- Location
- Las Vegas
- Alleged motive
- Revenge for assault on nephew Orlando Anderson
- Indictment year
- 2023