Tupac Shakur murder trial: Accused acted out of 'vengeance,' prosecution says

The trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, accused of masterminding the 1996 murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur, has begun in Las Vegas, with prosecutors detailing a motive of revenge.

Davis, an ex-member of the South Side Compton Crips gang, allegedly orchestrated the shooting because Shakur had humiliated his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson. Prosecutors contend that Davis planned the retaliation after Anderson was beaten by Shakur and his associates following a Mike Tyson boxing match.

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Let's be clear: Duane Davis did not pull the trigger, but what he did was plan the retaliation for the beating of his nephew.

"Let's be clear: Duane Davis did not pull the trigger, but what he did was plan the retaliation for the beating of his nephew," prosecutor Binu Palal told the court. Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty and faces a potential life sentence without parole.

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Duane Davis knew that, in his world, this called for a response.

The case brings to the forefront the violent rivalries between the East Coast and West Coast rap scenes in the 1990s. Shakur, representing the West Coast and signed to Death Row Records, was protected by the Mob Piru gang. His rival, The Notorious B.I.G., associated with New York's Bad Boy Records, was protected by the South Side Compton Crips.

Prosecutors argue that Davis confessed his role in the revenge plot multiple times over the years, describing his anger and involvement in the shooting that ultimately led to Shakur's death six days after the Sept. 7, 1996, incident.

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over the years, (...) Duane Davis described to us again and again the anger he felt and his own role in the revenge shooting targeting Tupac Shakur.