New York [US], August 18: Opening statements are set to begin Monday in the trial of a man accused of orchestrating the killing of Tupac Shakur, kicking off weeks of testimony that will revisit what happened on a Las Vegas nearly 30 years ago.
Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in the rapper's death.
He pleaded not guilty, but if convicted, faces life in prison.
The long-unsolved drive-by shooting gripped the hip-hop community, partly because no one was charged until Davis was indicted in 2023.
Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time, despite dying at 25. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
In recent years, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, had a street in Oakland named in his honor and inspired a character on the upcoming video game "Stranger than Heaven."
Over the course of the trial, which could span weeks, prosecutors plan to call 35 to 45 potential witnesses, and the defense will call only a handful to testify.
Members of Shakur's family are expected to be in the courtroom Monday. Shakur's stepbrother, Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur, recently told The Associated Press that sitting through the trial will be retraumatizing for the family, but it's important to be there.
"We're gonna stand by Pac as we always have," he said.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
