Nevada Judge Rules Police Interview Admissible in Tupac Shakur Murder Trial

A Las Vegas judge on Tuesday cleared the way for prosecutors to present a recorded police interview during the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who faces murder charges in connection with the 1996 death of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. Judge Carli Kierny determined that the 2008 interview with law enforcement would be admissible evidence, rejecting arguments from the defense that the questioning should remain confidential. The trial is set to begin August 10.

Davis, 63, stands accused in Shakur’s killing on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas. The shooting occurred when a white Cadillac pulled alongside a vehicle carrying Shakur and Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip. Shakur sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died six days later, while Knight survived with minor injuries. The case had remained unsolved for decades until Davis made recent public statements about his involvement, including in a co-written book.

Defense counsel Michael Sanft argued that detectives explicitly assured Davis during the 2008 questioning that the interview would not be used against him in any prosecution. However, prosecutors contended there were no legal grounds to exclude the evidence from trial. The recorded interview previously appeared in former Los Angeles Police Department Detective Greg Kading’s book “Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations” and in documentaries including “Sean Combs: The Reckoning.”

Shakur’s death remains among the most high-profile unsolved murders in American history. The trial is anticipated to last approximately four weeks.