Tupac Murder Trial Day 1: Prosecutors Say Gang Leader Carried Out ‘Act Of Revenge’ & Admitted It
Categoria: Musica
In opening statements, prosecutors said Duane Davis was driven by "visceral anger.” His defense argued his statements admitting to his role were fictional.
Por Billboard | 17/08/2026
A murder trial over the killing of Tupac Shakur kicked off Monday (Aug. 17) in a Las Vegas courtroom, where prosecutors told jurors that the legendary rapper’s slaying was “an act of revenge” carried out by former Los Angeles gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis. In opening statements of a trial expected to last at least a month, prosecutors told jurors Davis had masterminded the 1996 drive-by shooting that left the legendary rapper dead at the age of 25, doing so in response to a fight earlier that night in which Shakur attacked his nephew at a Las Vegas casino. Related Tupac Shakur’s Murder Trial Is Finally Here, 30 Years After Infamous Hip-Hop Crime BE:FIRST Is Ready for the World: Inside the J-Pop Superstars' Long-Planned U.S. Breakthrough Glenn A. Baker, Australian Music Historian and Former Billboard Correspondent, Dies at 74 As expected, prosecutors leaned heavily on Davis’ own statements about his involvement in the famous crime — including in a 2008 interview and a 2019 memoir in which he admitted that he was in the front seat for the shooting and had provided the gun to the shooter in the backseat. “Let’s be clear: Duane Davis did not pull the trigger,” prosecutor Binu Palal told jurors. “You will learn that when the opportunity presented itself for retribution, Duane Davis made sure that the shooters were armed and ready to execute their revenge. And remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.” Prosecutors repeatedly played clips in which Davis discussed his involvement, including both private interviews with police and public media appearances while he was promoting his book. Palal said they showed his “visceral anger” with Shakur over the attack on his nephew, even decades later. “Duane Davis knew that in his world, that required a response,” the prosecutor said of the fight. “Now, nearly 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable.” Firing back for Davis was defense attorney Michael W. Sanft , who told jurors there was no real evidence linking his client to the crime, or even that he had been in Las Vegas that night. He urged jurors to distinguish between fact and fiction and pointedly questioned why his client had not been charged years earlier based on the same statements. Sanft repeatedly stressed what will be his main defense: that Davis had actually created a fictional account of his role in the famous crime that could not be corroborated with real proof. At one point, he loaded a presentation screen for jurors that just read “Bulls–t” in white text. “Keffe D was known to do this,” the attorney told the jurors, pointing to the card. “What you’re going to find is that the state cannot prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt the claim that Keffe had anything to do with a first-degree murder.” Monday’s hearing marks the start of a trial that will last several