Nevada Judge Allows 2008 Police Interview as Evidence in Tupac Shakur Murder Trial
Judge Carli Kierny of Nevada's district court ruled that a 2008 police interview given by Duane “Keffe D” Davis is admissible as evidence in the upcoming murder trial of rapper Tupac Shakur. The trial is set to begin on Aug. 10, 2026 in Las Vegas, and Davis, 63, faces a possible life‑without‑parole sentence if convicted. The interview contains Davis’s statements that he was inside the white Cadillac that pulled up at a red light on Sept. 7, 1996 and that he supplied the gun used in the shooting. Prosecutors note the interview was previously used in former LAPD detective Greg Kading’s book “Murder Rap” and in documentaries such as “Sean Combs: The Reckoning.” Defense attorneys argued the interview had been promised to remain confidential, but the court found no legal basis to exclude it. The case, one of the most high‑profile unsolved murders in U.S. history, is expected to last about four weeks. Tupac Shakur was shot multiple times that night and died six days later; Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight, who was with Shakur, survived with minor injuries.
Entities: Carli Kierny · Duane “Keffe D” Davis · Greg Kading · Judge Carli Kierny · Marion “Suge” Knight · Nevada · Nevada District Court (Las Vegas) · Tupac Shakur
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Davis claimed he was in the white Cadillac that pulled up beside Shakur and that he supplied the weapon used. (suspect statement)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Tupac Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996 near the Las Vegas Strip while stopped at a red light with Marion “Suge” Knight. (incident description)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The 2008 interview was used in Greg Kading’s book “Murder Rap” and the documentary “Sean Combs: The Reckoning.” (media usage)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis is scheduled to start on August 10. (supported)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Nevada Judge Carli Kierny ruled the 2008 police interview with Duane “Keffe D” Davis admissible as evidence. (judge decision)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Duane “Keffe D” Davis is charged with murder in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. (All articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] If convicted, Davis faces life imprisonment without parole. (All articles)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’s nephew, was also in the Cadillac and died two years later in an unrelated gang shooting in Compton. (additional detail)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The interview was used in Greg Kading’s book “Murder Rap” and documentaries such as “Sean Combs: The Reckoning.” (All articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Defense argued the 2008 interview should have remained confidential. (All articles)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The trial is scheduled to begin on August 10, 2026, in Las Vegas. (court)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight survived with minor injuries. (All articles)