Tupac Shakur Trial 2026: Everything there is to know

11 August 2026, 15:02

The 2pac trial is finally taking place, with Duane Davis, a.k.a. Keffe D, set to take the stand for the death of Tupac Shakur. So who killed Tupac Shakur? Is Suge Knight testifying? & How did Tupac die? Here are all the details.

Tupac Shakur is one of the most famous names in hip-hop; his death rocked the world, but 30 years on, suspect Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis is set to take the stand in the trial – so who killed 2pac? When did Tupac die? & Who is Duane Davis?

The rapper was one of the biggest names in rap at the time, known for his friendship and later fallout with other late rapper Biggie Smalls.

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Tupac died in September 1996, and the music industry has not been the same since.

Now, 30 years on, his death is finally being put to trial – So why has it taken so long? & What do we know about the trial?

Here are all the details.

How did Tupac die? & How old would he be now?

Tupac was killed in a drive-by shooting on the streets of Paradise, Nevada, whilst stopped at a red light.

The car the rapper was being driven in was driven by the infamous Death Row Records owner, Suge Knight, who was grazed by a bullet at the time.

While the 25-year-old initially survived the incident, he passed away 6 days later in hospital from his injuries.

Tupac would be 55 years old today.

Who killed Tupac Shakur? & Why has the trial taken so long?

Orlando Anderson, who was a member of the notorious gang, Crips, was initially suspected in the murder, but was never charged, passing away 2 years after the incident.

Almost 30 years after the passing of Tupac, Orlando’s uncle, Duane Davis, also known as Keefe D, was arrested for the murder, with the trial beginning on August 10th 2026.

While there were many witnesses to the crime, including a 10-car entourage of Tupac’s behind, many of them didn’t offer statements to police because of so-called ‘street code’, stalling the investigation.

It wasn’t until 2009 that Keefe D, a Crips gang leader, was interviewed by police under a proffer agreement, which meant the statements couldn’t be used against him in court.

However, later in a documentary called Unsolved, the gang leader claimed to have been in the car with the murderer, sitting in the passenger seat, suggesting that his nephew Orlando Anderson was in the back with other gang member DeAndrae Smith.

He confirmed that the shooter had been sitting in the back, without revealing his name.

Keefe D also later released a memoir in 2019, in which he implicated himself as the orchestrator behind the attack as well as detailing his presence in the car.

While the 63-year-old isn’t believed to have committed the murder himself, he is thought to have supplied the gun to the shooter in the back seat.

As the only living suspect in the car, he is the only one to have received charges in this case.

He was eventually arrested in 2023, with his trial continuously delayed until it eventually commenced on August 11th; opening statements are expected to begin on August 17th.

Duane is being charged with murder in the first degree and is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Suge Knight, who is currently incarcerated for a separate manslaughter charge and who was the driver of Tupac’s car, has recently stated that he does not wish to take the stand during the trial.

He said: “I don't get paid to solve homicides. Leave me out of it.”

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