LAS VEGAS (AP) — The case of rap icon Tupac Shakur's killing has been unresolved for decades; now the man charged in his 1996 killing in Las Vegas is going to trial.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, faces one charge of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur's death. Jury selection begins Monday, with the trial scheduled to last about a month.
The trial will bring to a head one of the biggest mysteries in the hip-hop world that gripped the public for decades. Shakur, who also went by the stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time.
Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. He was in a black BMW with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight on their way to Club 662, where Shakur was scheduled to perform, when a white Cadillac pulled up beside them. Gunfire erupted. Shakur, who was in the passenger seat, was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.
The case went cold until recent years, when public statements and a tell-all memoir from Davis revived the case. He was a leader of South Side Compton Crips at the time of Shakur’s death. Davis was arrested in 2023 and pleaded not guilty.
Here’s what to know about the trial.
It will take place in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, with Judge Carli Kierny presiding over the case.
Jury selection starts Monday. That's expected to take a few days. Then, the prosecution and defense will give opening statements and witness testimony will begin.
Inside the courtroom, seats for the public will be in short supply, with a daily lottery for a chance to get one. A room on the second floor of the court will be open to the public and will show a live feed of the trial.
Prosecutors are not arguing that Davis is the one who pulled the trigger that night, and the trial likely won’t confirm who fired at Shakur. Instead, prosecutors plan to prove that Davis made the calls that led to Shakur’s death and provided the gun used to shoot Shakur.
Davis is the co-author of the memoir “Compton Street Legends,” which describes his exact role in the shooting. The book says that Davis obtained a handgun from an associate and tossed it into the back seat of the Cadillac but did not say who fired the fatal shots.
Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew, has long been considered the suspect who pulled the trigger, but charges were never brought against him in the killing. He died two years after Shakur’s death in an unrelated gang shootout in Compton, California.
Two others — Deandrae “Freaky” Smith and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown — were in the car with Davis and Anderson, but they have since died as well.
Prosecutors expect to call between 35 and 45 witnesses during the trial, ranging from people who saw Shakur moments before he was shot to people who were in both Shakur and Davis’ orbits at the time.
Their witness list includes former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and members of Shakur’s family. However not everyone on the list will necessarily testify. Rather, attorneys may ask potential jurors if they're familiar with certain names.
Leonard Jefferson, a California resident who pulled up next to the BMW and snapped a photograph, which became the last known photo of Shakur, is expected to testify.
The state is also expected to call Denvonta Lee, who was affiliated with the South Side Crips.
In grand jury testimony, Lee testified that rival gangs, the Crips and Mob Piru, were tied to dueling record labels Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records.
Though he wasn’t there that night, Lee also testified that Anderson didn’t have a clear shot, so Smith took the gun and did the shooting. He also said Davis was in charge and gave the gun to Anderson, who gave it to Smith.
The witness list includes others who previously testified to the grand jury, including Malcolm Greenidge, a friend of Shakur’s who was traveling in his entourage that night. Reggie Wright, who grew up in Compton and did security for Death Row Records, is also expected to testify.
But other witnesses will be new, including a former member of Death Row’s security team and a former member of Mob Piru who was at Club 662 the night Shakur was shot.
Witnesses also include former police officers and detectives, as well as gang experts.
Davis’ defense attorney is expected to call less than a handful of witnesses, including one expert in the area of false confessions and coercive interrogation techniques.
Prosecutors requested to have multiple out-of-state witnesses testify, and it's unclear who those people are.
One of the witnesses is in prison in California, according to court records. Knight is serving a 28-year prison sentence in California for running over and killing a Compton businessman outside a burger stand in January 2015. He previously said he would not testify in Davis' case.
As the only other living eyewitness who was in one of the two vehicles that night, Knight’s testimony could make or break the case.
Davis' defense attorney Michael Sanft told The Associated Press that Knight would be a good witness for Davis' defense if he did testify.
Fans have also speculated whether Sean “Diddy” Combs will testify. Combs is currently serving a four-year prison sentence in New Jersey following his conviction of prostitution-related charges.
In his book, Davis alleged Combs wanted Knight and Shakur dead and offered Davis money to kill them. Combs has long denied having any involvement in the shooting.
A spokesperson for Combs did not return emailed requests asking whether he plans to testify and his name does not appear on any witness list.
Duane Davis, left, talks with his attorney Michael Sanft in Clark County District Court during a calendar call and motion hearing for Davis' upcoming trial, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Pool Photo via AP)
LONDON (AP) — Timing is everything in comedy and, so it seems, in British politics for a perennial joke candidate who wears a garbage can on his head.
Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, has landed in the center of the U.K.’s political universe ahead of a special election Thursday that was derided as a farce long before the ballot was packed with nearly three dozen candidates — many from the silly end of the spectrum.
Binface, who has run against prime ministers past and present, was the first to throw his bucket in the ring when Reform UK leader Nigel Farage abruptly quit Parliament and said he would seek reelection to clear his name over financial allegations.
“Game on, Nige,” Binface declared soon after Farage, portraying himself as the victim of a witch hunt, said he would represent the people against the establishment.
But when the major political parties denounced Farage’s move as a political stunt and boycotted the Clacton-on-Sea election in southeastern England, the trash-talking comedian was launched into prime position as default challenger. He has been on a nonstop media blitz since.
“I’m the only fresh thing on the menu,” Binface told The Associated Press on a day of interviews with reporters from Japan, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. “You’re all sick of these politicians, as good as they’re trying to be, but you know you need something different, a little bit of secret sauce.”
The jokes have continued nearly nonstop — and not all are coming from the man in the can with a 20-point plan.
“If (Farage) wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him,” then-Treasury Secretary Rachel Reeves, known more for number-crunching than playing for yuks, said as she officially accepted Farage’s resignation and set the stage for the special election.
Under Binface’s black cape, rubbish bin and ample body armor that looks straight out of a low-budget sci-fi film, is a middle-aged comedian named Jon Harvey trying to keep his cool during a sweaty summer.
You’d never know who was in there from talking to his alter ego. Binface never breaks character and delivers snarky ripostes when challenged to lift the lid.
“Has anyone here seen ‘Return of the Jedi’?” he said to a BBC host in reference to the “Star Wars” sequel where Darth Vader is unmasked. “Nobody wants to know what’s under the recycling. ... It’s absolutely putrefying.”
Harvey is a married father of two who grew up in London and studied the classics at Oxford. He has been a TV writer on the political comedy “The Thick of It” and the humorous news quiz “Have I Got News for You.” He’s the author of a sports memoir written after his brother’s death and Binface’s memoir: “What on Earth? An Alien’s Guide to Fixing Britain.”
In a country where almost any adult citizen can run for office — regardless of where they live — eccentric candidates are a celebrated electoral tradition. On the 3-foot-long (0.9-meter-long) Clacton ballot, there are no fewer than three members of the Monster Raving Loony Party, including Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and Baron von Thunderclap.
Harvey’s turn in politics began almost a decade ago when he blasted to earth from the so-called planet of Sigma IX as Lord Buckethead to run for the House of Commons seat held by then-Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May. She won handily, but Binface rocketed to fame and landed on “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."
But the use of Buckethead, borrowed from a “Star Wars” parody, ended in “an unfortunate battle on the planet Copyright.” He was reincarnated as Binface to take on Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
He twice challenged London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who proclaimed in his 2024 victory speech that he was the first person in British politics to win successive victories over Binface.
“Believe me, he made me work hard for it,” Khan quipped.
In June, Binface lost a parliamentary special election to Andy Burnham, who quickly replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister when he was forced out after his Labour Party was battered by Farage’s party in local and regional elections.
Binface, leader of the “Recyclons” on his home planet, continues to reuse items of past campaign manifestos that feature a mix of absurd and hyper-local policy offerings that don't necessarily resonate with a global audience.
Among the more relatable points, he promises to “cut your taxes, and raise everyone else’s,” build one affordable home and nationalize singer Adele — whatever that means.
One item that has raised some eyebrows is a vow to relocate the hand dryer in the men’s restroom at the Crown & Treaty pub in Uxbridge to a more sensible location.
“Do you want to be using the urinal and have another human blasting your bits with insanely hot air?” he said.
His main selling point is that he’s not Farage, though he has opted not to directly attack his main opponent. Instead, his platform takes not-so-subtle digs at the populist often pictured with a pint of beer.
In reference to the gift Farage did not declare when he was elected, which is the source of a parliamentary investigation, Binface said he would not accept 5-million-pound ($6.7-million) gifts from “crypto billionaires (on Earth).”
He would also bar members of Parliament who resign midterm from running in the subsequent by-election and promised to spend more time in Clacton than Washington, D.C., a reference to Farage’s trips to the U.S., where he considers President Donald Trump an ally.
Binface, if elected, has no interest in dealing with Trump: “He’s awful.” But he would “love to cement” the so-called special relationship between Britain and the U.S. “with a galactic union.”
“You’ve still got the Atlantic Ocean. I can’t do much about that, but yes, I’d love to foster better relations,” he said.
Binface has conceded he doesn’t expect to win, but if he pulls off an otherworldly upset, he would have to check his headgear at the door of the House of Commons under rules that bar costumes and require businesslike attire.
He said some members of Parliament have been discussing making an exception.
“You might think they should be trying to fix the British economy, healthcare system and infrastructure first," he said.
But those are issues for serious politicians and not ones you’ll find on a platform that includes price caps for croissants and a plan to punish scofflaw cyclists by making them ride unicycles.
Count Binface leaves after being interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Count Binface is interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Count Binface leaves after being interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
A journalist takes a selfie with Count Binface after he is interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Count Binface is interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
