Keffe D goes on trial for Tupac Shakur's murder

Jury selection begins Monday in the murder trial of Keffe D, a former street-gang leader accused of orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur outside a Las Vegas casino. The 59-year-old is charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit murder. Shakur, 25, died six days after he was shot while riding in a car driven by his friend, Marion "Suge" Knight, CEO of Death Row Records.

The case comes 27 years after the killing, which remains one of hip-hop’s most notorious unsolved crimes. Shakur’s murder marked a turning point for rap, deepening its ties to violence and street culture. The trial follows decades of speculation, witness recantations, and shifting stories. In 2018, a Los Angeles detective reopened the probe after a man came forward claiming Keffe D confessed to him years earlier. Keffe D’s nephew, Orlando Anderson, was once fingered as the shooter but was killed in a separate gang-related shooting in 1998. Keffe D has long maintained his innocence, saying he was in the car but not involved in the shooting.

Prosecutors plan to call witnesses who say Keffe D admitted involvement, including a jailhouse informant who claims Keffe D confessed during a 2008 conversation. Defense lawyers are expected to argue the case relies on unreliable testimony and circumstantial evidence. Shakur’s family has long demanded justice, and the trial could bring long-overdue closure. His mother, Afeni Shakur, once said, “Tupac’s murder was not just about him—it was about the culture that failed to protect him.”

If convicted, Keffe D could face life in prison. The trial resumes Tuesday after jury selection. It’s not just about Shakur’s death—it’s about whether the legal system can finally answer the decades-old question: Who killed Tupac?