As jury selection officially got underway in Las Vegas for the long-awaited trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, prosecutors released a massive official witness list containing more than 200 names—highlighting the deep web of hip-hop figures, eyewitnesses, and law enforcement personnel connected to the nearly 30-year-old cold case. The Tupac Shakur murder trial represents a pivotal moment in music history, as the legal system finally addresses the 1996 drive-by shooting that claimed the life of the legendary rapper.
Davis, 63, faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang in connection with the September 7, 1996, incident. Shakur died six days later at age 25. Although Davis is not accused of pulling the trigger himself, prosecutors allege he acted as the “shot caller” for the South Side Compton Crips, providing the firearm and orchestrating the hit in retaliation for a brawl inside the MGM Grand earlier that night involving his nephew, Orlando Anderson, Shakur, and Death Row Records affiliates. Davis was indicted in 2023 and has pleaded not guilty.
High-Profile Names on the Witness List
The extensive roster of potential witnesses features several prominent figures from 1990s hip-hop history and local government, though legal experts note that not everyone on the list will ultimately be called to testify:
- Marion “Suge” Knight: The former Death Row Records CEO was driving the BMW with Shakur in the passenger seat when the shooting occurred. Knight, 61, is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in California for voluntary manslaughter stemming from an unrelated 2015 hit-and-run. Knight has publicly stated he will not testify at the trial.
- Kirk Burrowes: The former president and co-founder of Bad Boy Records—which he launched alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs in 1993—has previously claimed that Combs “orchestrated” the shooting of Shakur.
- Sean “Diddy” Combs: While Combs has consistently denied any involvement in Shakur’s death, the trial revisits the violent feud between West Coast-based Death Row Records and East Coast-based Bad Boy Records. Combs is currently serving a 50-month federal prison sentence following his July 2025 conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
- Eugene “Gene” Deal: Combs’ former personal bodyguard at the time of the 1996 shooting.
- Sekyiwa Shakur & Family: Shakur’s sister and other family members appear on the list as the family seeks closure after three decades.
- Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo: The current Nevada governor and former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer is listed among the potential law enforcement witnesses.
- Yusuf Jah: The co-author of Davis’s 2019 tell-all memoir, Compton Street Legend, which serves as a central pillar of the prosecution’s evidence.
A Trial Built on Self-Incrimination
With no recovered murder weapon, getaway vehicle, or direct forensic evidence placing Davis at the scene, the state’s case relies heavily on Davis’s own public statements made across books, podcast interviews, and law enforcement disclosures over the past two decades.
Jury selection is expected to take several days in Clark County District Court before opening arguments begin in a trial projected to last up to five weeks. Davis faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
