A Las Vegas jury on Thursday heard a 2008 interview in which Duane "Keffe D" Davis admitted that his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur in a 1996 drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
Davis, 63, is currently on trial for orchestrating the murder of the 25-year-old hip-hop artist. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder with the use of a deadly weapon with intent to promote a criminal gang. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Key testimony details
During the interview, Davis told detectives that on the night of September 7, 1996, he was riding in a white Cadillac with Anderson and two other men. The car pulled alongside a vehicle carrying Shakur and Marion "Suge" Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records. Davis claimed he passed a gun to Deandre "Big Dre" Smith, who refused it, before Anderson took the weapon and opened fire.
"If we would have been on my side, I would have blasted," Davis said in the recording. "Instead, Knight’s car was on the other side."
The interview was played for jurors as part of the prosecution’s case, which relies heavily on Davis’ own admissions in police interviews, a 2019 memoir co-authored by Davis, and podcast appearances. Prosecutors have stated they will emphasize these statements as central evidence.
Defense strategy challenges Davis’ credibility
Davis’ attorney, Michael Sanft, directly challenged the reliability of his client’s statements during opening arguments. Sanft displayed a slide with the word "BULLS*" and asked jurors: "What facts do you have to support any of what Keffe D said in any of his interviews or the book?"
The defense argues that Davis’ claims may have been motivated by efforts to promote his memoir, Compton Street Legend, published in 2019. Legal experts suggest this is a common tactic in cases involving high-profile defendants who have previously sought public attention.
Witness testimony highlights conflicting loyalties
Another witness, James McDonald, who worked in security for Death Row Records, testified as a "hostile witness" and refused to implicate Davis, stating: "I don’t want to send him to prison, even though we don’t like each other." McDonald, who was present at the club where Shakur was shot, claimed he would not name names when pressed by attorneys.
Background of the case
Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip on September 12, 1996, five days after a confrontation at the MGM Grand casino. That altercation involved Shakur, Knight, and Anderson, Davis’ nephew. Davis previously told the FBI that his nephew was not involved in the shooting and suggested Knight or Sean "Diddy" Combs may have been responsible.
Davis was arrested in 2023, 27 years after the killing, following his own public statements about the crime. He is the only person ever charged in the case.
Trial proceedings continue
The trial is ongoing in Las Vegas, with jurors hearing testimony from witnesses and reviewing evidence presented by both the prosecution and defense. The outcome could provide long-awaited answers to one of hip-hop’s most enduring mysteries.