Prosecutors rest their case in Tupac Shakur murder trial

Duane Davis' defense attorney is expected to call his first witness on Thursday.LAS VEGAS (CN) — Duane “Keffe D” Davis held up his book, “Compton Street Legend,” and advised people to buy it.On trial for the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, Davis sat in court Wednesday and watched a YouTube video of himself played for the jury.“This is my book here,” Davis said on video, adding: “You can get the real truth about this whole situation."“It’s your $20. Read about that part,” he said.Nevada prosecutors, who rested their case after showing the video and playing jail calls of Davis, have used Davis’ own words in their attempt to secure a conviction against the former South Side Compton Crips shot caller. They’ve pointed to Davis’ statements to law enforcement, and his own book, that put him in a vehicle in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996 — the day Shakur was shot.Davis has pleaded not guilty.Jurors have heard that Davis handed a pistol to the backseat after discovering Shakur while driving around. Someone then shot Shakur. He died six days later.Prosecutors have argued that a gang rivalry led to the shooting. A group of men, one of whom was identified as Shakur, attacked Davis’ nephew earlier that night at the MGM Grand — supposed payback for a fight that happened months earlier at a California mall.“My nephew didn’t jump on him,” Davis said in one video. “He jumped on my nephew. My nephew was a fucking kid.”Davis in interviews has indicated that his nephew, Orlando Anderson, fired the shots that killed Shakur. Anderson died in 1998 in an unrelated shooting.Jurors also heard a series of recorded jail calls between Davis and others.“I wish you would have never talked to them,” an unidentified woman told Davis in October 2023. “All you see over Instagram, all that shit.”“They’re trying to use my words against me,” Davis said.At times, Adam Stoehr, an electronic evidence specialist with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, would repeat what Davis said on the recorded jail calls, as some were garbled.“’I have blood on my money,’” Stoehr said of a November 2023 call.Davis spoke to law enforcement about Shakur almost 20 years ago. In 2017, he gave interviews for what became the documentary “Death Row Chronicles.” His book was released in 2019.Representing Davis, defense attorney Michael Sanft has characterized his client’s statements as “bullshit.” He said authorities took 30 years to charge Davis and would call witnesses with criminal histories to prove their case.Now, prosecutors are using an embellished book as facts in a murder trial, Sanft added.Jurors left for the day after Stoehr’s testimony. After they left, Clark County Judge Carli Kierny advised Davis about his right to not testify. She noted that if he opted against taking the witness stand, prosecutors couldn’t mention that during their closing arguments.She then asked if Davis had any questions.“No, I’m good,” he answered.Kierny noted that prosecutors are restricted in what parts of Davis’ criminal history they could mention if he testified. Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo said he could only reference convictions stemming from a December 2024 jailhouse fight between Davis and another man.A judge sentenced Davis in September to 16 to 40 months in prison for battery by a prisoner and challenges to a fight.“Is that why they sent them to attack me?” Davis asked.“I understand that’s your position, but I don’t know anything about that case,” Kierny said.Sanft is expected to call his first witness on Thursday.Categories / Arts, Criminal, MediaSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads