63岁的杜安"凯夫D"戴维斯因涉嫌策划1996年9月7日嘻哈巨星图帕克·沙库尔的致命枪击事件在拉斯维加斯受审[1][2]。当时25岁的沙库尔在该起事件中身亡[1]。检控方以谋杀罪和帮助犯罪团伙的意图指控戴维斯，并称其策划了袭击并提供了0.40口径Glock枪[2]。戴维斯已表示不认罪[2]。
审判预计持续约四周，从本周一开始进行[1][2]。检控方计划传唤35至45名证人[1]，并将以戴维斯2019年出版的回忆录《康普顿街传奇》和其过往执法采访作为主要证据[2]。法官已驳回辩防律师关于该回忆录不可采纳的申请[2]。玛丽昂"苏格"奈特是当时在车内的目击者中除被告外唯一仍活着的人，已被列入证人名单[1]；当时车内其他三名男子已全部去世[1]。若戴维斯被定罪，他将面临终身监禁[2]。
A man accused of orchestrating the 1996 murder of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur went on trial in Las Vegas after nearly three decades, marking a significant development in one of the music industry's most infamous cold cases.[1][2] Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, faces charges of murder and gang participation in connection with Shakur's death on September 7, 1996, when the rapper was shot in a drive-by incident at age 25.[1][2] Davis entered a not guilty plea to the charges.[1][2]
The trial, expected to last approximately four weeks, began this week with prosecutors planning to call between 35 and 45 witnesses.[1][2] According to the prosecution, Davis planned the attack and provided a .40-caliber Glock handgun used in the shooting.[2] A judge rejected defense arguments that Davis's 2019 memoir "Compton Street Legend" should be deemed inadmissible; prosecutors intend to use the memoir and Davis's prior law enforcement interviews as key evidence.[2] Marion "Suge" Knight, who was the driver of the vehicle at the time, remains the sole surviving witness present in the vehicle other than the defendant and is listed as a witness for the trial.[1] The three other men who were in the Cadillac at the time of the shooting have all died.[1] If convicted, Davis faces life imprisonment without parole.[1][2]
The case is tied to longstanding rivalries between East Coast and West Coast rap labels and gang conflicts of that era.[1] Davis's memoir reignited investigative interest in the cold case, ultimately leading to his arrest and prosecution.[1]