Fact-versus-fiction dispute opens at Tupac Shakur killing trial in Las Vegas
- Opening statements began in the Las Vegas murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who is accused in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
- Prosecutors told jurors that Davis did not fire the shots but helped plan the shooting in retaliation for an earlier beating involving his nephew.
- Defense lawyers rejected the prosecution’s account, calling it fiction and arguing that investigators relied on incomplete and biased work.
- Jurors heard references to Davis’s own interviews and memoir, which prosecutors said include admissions about his role and statements about the shooting.
- Witnesses also described the difficulty of the investigation, noting that most eyewitnesses are dead and that no one was charged until Davis was indicted in 2023.
Opening statements began Monday in the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who is charged with murder in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Prosecutors said Davis helped plan the shooting after Shakur’s entourage attacked Davis’s nephew outside the MGM Grand on the night of Sept. 7, 1996.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis “did not pull the trigger” but was part of the retaliation. The prosecution also pointed to Davis’s interviews with investigators and his 2019 memoir, which it plans to use at trial.
Defense lawyer Michael Sanft said the state’s case was fiction and argued that law enforcement had long known Davis was not credible. He also criticized the original investigation as incomplete and biased.
Testimony from former officers and detectives described the investigation and its gaps, including the lack of living eyewitnesses who could identify the men in the Cadillac. The trial is expected to last about a month, and Davis has pleaded not guilty.
拉斯维加斯图帕克·夏库尔遇害案审判开庭，控辩双方围绕事实与虚构争议交锋
周一，杜安·“Keffe D”·戴维斯案开始开庭陈述。戴维斯被控与1996年图帕克·夏库尔遇害案有关，检方称他参与了策划，起因是夏库尔一方在同一晚稍早时殴打了戴维斯的侄子。
首席副地区检察官比努·帕拉尔向陪审团表示，戴维斯并不是开枪者，但他参与了报复性枪击的安排。检方还提到戴维斯接受过调查人员采访以及他在2019年合著的回忆录，称这些材料将被用于本案。
辩护律师迈克尔·桑夫特则称，控方的说法是虚构，并表示执法部门很久以前就知道戴维斯不可信。他还批评最初的调查不完整且带有偏见。
前警员和前侦探的证词概述了调查经过及其缺口，包括已经没有在世目击者能够指认车内人员。预计审判将持续约一个月，戴维斯对谋杀指控表示不认罪。