Under a scorching desert canopy on Fremont Street, tourists rode zip lines while a few blocks away at the Regional Justice Center a courtroom filled with jurors, reporters and a nervous defendant. Attorney Michael Sanft, representing Duane Davis – known in the media as “Keffe D.” – opened the trial on August 17, arguing that Davis’s decades‑long public commentary about the 1996 shooting was a fabricated story.
Opening statements set the tone
Sanft displayed the word “BULLSH*T” in all caps on a slide, summarizing his view that Davis’s interviews with the LAPD, podcasts, and a 2019 book were a long‑running lie. Prosecutor Binu Palal countered, saying silence meant survival for the victim’s family and that Davis could not stay quiet about his alleged role.
Evidence from a different era
The trial has required the court to explain life in 1996 to jurors who were teenagers then. Items such as a paper hotel bill showing 75‑cent local calls and an analog VHS tape of surveillance footage from the MGM Grand have been introduced. Former Las Vegas police officer Dean O’Kelley testified that the homicide unit still maintains a VHS player to view such evidence.
Witnesses also reflect the passage of time. Retired investigators testified via Zoom from distant homes, while Reggie Wright, Jr., former head of security for Death Row Records, testified from an electric scooter after being weakened by long COVID.
Prosecutors link Davis to the murder
According to the state’s case, Davis first spoke publicly about his gang history in a 2018 documentary and later in a 2019 memoir titled “Compton Street Legend.” Prosecutors say those public statements, combined with secret interviews dating back to 1998, reveal a pattern of self‑incrimination.
In recorded interviews, Davis claimed he had arranged to obtain the gun used to kill Shakur, that the weapon was later passed to his nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, and that Sean “Puffy” Combs (now known as Diddy) offered him a million dollars to carry out the killing but reneged after Shakur’s death. Diddy’s representatives have denied any involvement.
Defense challenges the record
Sanft objected to playing the interview recordings, citing confidentiality agreements, but Judge Carli Kierny allowed them, noting they matched statements Davis later repeated in his book and other media appearances.
During the first week, Davis remained largely silent in the courtroom, but later accused the prosecution of publishing his home address and that of his sister, claiming it led to vandalism of his property and his wife’s car.
What lies ahead
The trial is expected to last about a month. Jurors will have to weigh decades‑old testimony, aging witnesses, and a lack of formal police reports for many of the events described. Both sides agree that the case hinges on whether Davis’s own words constitute credible evidence of involvement or merely a bid for notoriety.
As Las Vegas watches the proceedings, the trial revives a turbulent chapter of hip‑hop history while highlighting the challenges of prosecuting a crime that occurred nearly three decades ago.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
