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Jurors in Tupac Shakur murder trial hear 2008 recording of Duane Davis implicating nephew

Prosecutors played police interviews where Duane "Keffe D" Davis described handing the weapon used to shoot Shakur to his nephew Orlando Anderson.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 00:33 UTC3 reports

The short version

Jurors in the Las Vegas trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis heard a 2008 police recording in which Davis claimed his nephew, Orlando Anderson, shot Tupac Shakur in 1996.
Davis, 63, is charged with murder with a deadly weapon for allegedly obtaining the gun and orchestrating the drive-by shooting in retaliation for a casino brawl.
The defense argues that Davis fabricated his past confessions to gain fame and book sales, asserting prosecutors lack physical evidence and corroborating witnesses.
The trial is scheduled to continue over four to five weeks as prosecutors rely heavily on Davis's past interviews and 2019 memoir.

Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is on trial in Las Vegas on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon in connection with the September 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.[Fox News · BBC News]
Prosecutors presented a 2008 police recording in which Davis told Los Angeles detectives that he passed a firearm to the back seat of a Cadillac before his nephew, Orlando Anderson, opened fire on Shakur and Marion "Suge" Knight.[BBC News · ABC News]
The prosecution alleges the fatal shooting was an act of gang retaliation following a brawl earlier that night at the MGM Grand casino involving Anderson and Shakur's entourage.[Fox News · BBC News]
Defense attorney Michael Sanft argued to the jury that Davis's prior admissions were uncorroborated exaggerations and fiction aimed at selling books and gaining publicity.[Fox News · BBC News · ABC News]
The three other men alleged to have been inside the vehicle with Davis during the shooting, including Anderson, are dead.[Fox News · BBC News]

Whether Davis's recorded admissions and memoir are factual accounts or fabricated stories, as no eyewitnesses have directly testified to the identity of the shooter.[Fox News · BBC News]
Whether Marion "Suge" Knight, who survived the shooting and is on the witness list, will participate after previously indicating he would not cooperate with prosecutors.[Fox News]