Tupac Shakur killing: Act of revenge? Duane Davis murder trial opens with new claims after decades

The investigation into the 1996 killing of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur moved into the courtroom with witnesses testifying on the opening day of Duane Keith Davis’ murder trial. According to a report by the BBC, prosecutors described the shooting as “an act of revenge”, while the defence challenged the strength and reliability of evidence that has emerged nearly three decades after Shakur’s death.

Who killed Tupac Shakur?

Duane Davis, 63, is facing one count of murder with a deadly weapon in connection with Shakur’s death. He has pleaded not guilty, added CNN. However, prosecutors allege that Davis personally didn't fire the shots at Shakur on that fateful night. Instead, they claim he orchestrated the drive-by shooting in retaliation for an assault on his nephew, Orlando Anderson, earlier on September 7, 1996.

The trial began in Las Vegas on Monday (local time) with opening statements from both sides. The jury heard testimony from four witnesses, as per multiple US media reports. Several members of Shakur’s family, including his sister, were seen attending the court proceedings.

Duane Davis murder trial begins

In their opening statement, prosecutors portrayed the killing as an act of revenge following the assault involving Anderson. CNN reported that they described the murder as “an act of revenge”, arguing that Duane Davis had harboured “visceral anger” toward the late rapper over the years.

Prosecutors presented multiple pieces of evidence, including surveillance footage, audio recordings and witness testimony, in an attempt to establish a timeline of events on the night of September 7, 1996.

For the unversed, Shakur was in Las Vegas when he was shot dead. He was set to attend a Mike Tyson boxing match when he was shot in a drive-by attack.

What did prosecution say

During the trial, the prosecution reportedly played audio of DuaneDavis speaking in 2008 about the night of the shooting as evidence.

The defence, on the other hand, focused on the tenuousness of the case and described a lack of reliable evidence directly connecting Davis to the ongoing murder. Defence attorney Michael Sanft reportedly questioned why Davis had not been charged earlier despite having his past statements about his alleged role in the killing.

Defence

Sanft dismissed those statements as “bulls**t” and questioned the investigation of detectives in the case. The defence also called the work of one former detective as “biased, sloppy, and incomplete”, adding that the passage of time, alleged corruption and the absence of solid evidence pose significant doubts in the claims made by the prosecution.

The case reached trial nearly 30 years after Shakur’s passing. Duane Davis was indicted in 2023 and remains the first and only person to be charged in the case.

Witnesses recall the night

Among the witnesses who testified on day 1 was Garry Dale, a former Las Vegas police officer who recalled pulling over Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight shortly before the shooting over a missing license plate on their vehicle. Dale talked about travelling in an ambulance with Shakur after the firing.

According to testimony reported by CNN, Shakur responded by saying, “No, we’ll take care of it,” after he was asked who had pulled the trigger.

Another witness, Ingrid Stokes, was a passenger in a vehicle travelling near the car carrying Shakur and Knight when the shooting took place. She testified about hearing the gunfire.

Retired detective Brent Becker also took the stand. He reportedly talked about the challenges investigators faced over the years while working on the case and persuading witnesses to cooperate.

The state’s final witness of the day was retired Los Angeles Police Department detective Fred Miller, who discussed connections between Davis and another high-profile hip-hop murder investigation involving Christopher Wallace aka Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G.

The opening day brought renewed attention to the killing of Tupac Shakur. The proceedings are expected to continue for about a month.

The trial is not expected to establish who physically fired the shots that killed Shakur. Instead, the prosecution’s case centres on its allegation that Davis orchestrated the attack against the late rapper.