A critical piece of evidence will be allowed in the upcoming murder trial of the man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur's killing three decades ago.
Judge Carli Kierny ruled Tuesday that prosecutors may use a recorded police interview from 2008 in which Duane "Keffe D" Davis discussed the rapper's death. The decision comes less than two weeks before Davis's trial is set to commence on August 10.
Davis, now 63 years old, faces a murder charge in connection with Shakur's September 7, 1996, shooting in Las Vegas. If convicted, he could receive a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors contend that Davis planned and directed the attack that claimed the iconic rapper's life.
The case remained unsolved for years, becoming one of the most infamous cold cases in American criminal history. Investigators' interest was renewed after Davis began speaking publicly about the incident, including in a co-authored memoir titled "Compton Street Legend." In that book, Davis acknowledged being present in the Cadillac from which shots were fired and claimed he supplied the weapon used in the shooting.
Defense attorney Michael Sanft challenged the admissibility of the 2008 interview, arguing that law enforcement had promised Davis confidentiality and assured him the conversation would not be used for prosecution. Davis himself wrote in his memoir: "I sang because they promised I would not be prosecuted."
Prosecutors countered that any protection Davis might have enjoyed evaporated when he chose to publish his book and make public statements about the events. Judge Kierny agreed, finding no legal grounds to suppress the interview from the trial, which is expected to span approximately four weeks.
The defense also attempted unsuccessfully to exclude Davis's book from evidence, claiming it contained fictionalized elements designed to generate profit and that determining Davis's actual authorship of specific passages was impossible. Judge Kierny rejected this argument, pointing to an interview in which Davis characterized the book as the "real truth."
The 2008 interview has already entered the public sphere through former Los Angeles Police Department Detective Greg Kading's book "Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations." Segments of the recording have also appeared in multiple documentaries, including the recent "Sean Combs: The Reckoning."
The fatal shooting occurred when Shakur and Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight were stopped at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip. A white Cadillac pulled alongside their vehicle, and gunfire erupted. Shakur sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died six days later. Knight survived with minor injuries.
Three other individuals accompanied Davis in the Cadillac that night, including his nephew Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson. Davis remains the sole survivor among the four occupants. The others all died before facing any charges related to Shakur's killing.
In his memoir, Davis described obtaining a handgun from an associate and tossing it into the Cadillac's back seat, though he did not identify who pulled the trigger. During the 2008 interview, Davis recounted how his group spotted Shakur that evening and pulled alongside the vehicle, stating that Anderson "popped them."
Anderson denied any involvement in Shakur's death at the time. He was killed two years later in an unrelated gang shooting in Compton, California. Grand jury testimony from a witness suggested that Anderson lacked a clear shot, prompting Deandrae "Freaky" Smith to take the weapon and fire.
Davis wrote that investigators were "clearly shocked and surprised" when he began answering their questions about Tupac's death. He also expressed remorse about cooperating with authorities, writing: "It kills me on the inside to know that I told them anything."
The trial represents a significant development in a case that has captivated the public for nearly three decades, potentially bringing closure to one of hip-hop's most enduring mysteries.
