Nearly 30 years on, trial begins for man accused of orchestrating Tupac's murder

Nearly three decades after rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting, the trial of the man accused of orchestrating his murder has begun, with jury selection underway this week.

Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, 63, faces one charge of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. Davis is not alleged to have fired the shots himself, but prosecutors say he ordered the killing and provided the weapon. If convicted, he faces a potential life sentence without parole.

Shakur, 25, was shot on September 7, 1996, as he sat in the passenger seat of a black BMW driven by Marion 'Suge' Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records. The shooting occurred after Shakur had watched a boxing match featuring Mike Tyson and was heading to a nightclub. He died six days later from his injuries. Knight, who was driving, survived the attack.

According to prosecutors, Davis allegedly obtained the murder weapon and handed it off to two other men in the rear seat of a white Cadillac, the vehicle from which the fatal shots were fired. Davis is described as the 'shot caller' of a plot to avenge the beating of his nephew by Shakur and members of his entourage.

Davis was arrested in September 2023 and pleaded not guilty. He is the only person to be charged in connection with Shakur's death, one of hip-hop's most high-profile unsolved killings. The trial is expected to last approximately a month.

About 75 potential jurors were called to the courthouse on Monday to be questioned about their ability to remain fair and impartial in the high-profile case. Marion 'Suge' Knight, the only living eyewitness to the drive-by assassination, has refused to cooperate with law enforcement, though prosecutors may call him to testify at trial.

William Lesane, who identified himself as Shakur's cousin, told reporters outside the courtroom that the trial represented the culmination of 30 years of grief and trauma for the family. 'Hopefully we'll find out some new information. And more importantly, the right person is charged and convicted for Tupac's murder,' he said.