2Pac Murder Trial Postponed For Nearly A Year

The murder trial for Duane “Keefe D” Davis, the only person ever charged in connection with the killing of Tupac Shakur, has been delayed by nearly a year.

On Tuesday (February 18), ABC News reported that the trial, originally set to begin in mid-March, has now been pushed to February 2026. The ruling of the postponement, which is days shy of a full calendar year, arrives after Davis’ defense team requested more time to interview witnesses they claim can prove his innocence.

“It looks like there are quite a few things that are left to be done to get this case prepared so that Mr. Davis can have effective assistance of counsel,” Judge Carli Kierny said during a brief hearing.

“Given that, it appears as though I really don’t have much of a choice but to grant it,” the judge said.

Prosecutors didn’t oppose the defense’s motion to delay the trial. Davis, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, remains jailed since his September 2023 arrest.

Tupac Shakur was shot multiple times while riding in the passenger seat of Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight’s BMW on September 7, 1996. The attack, allegedly orchestrated by Davis, was reportedly in retaliation for a casino brawl involving 2Pac, Knight, and Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson. Anderson, who was suspected of being the shooter, was killed in a shooting incident in 1998.

Prosecutors argue that Davis played a key role in arranging the shooting, identifying him as the “shot caller.” However, Davis’ legal team is challenging this narrative, presenting a new argument to support his innocence. Defense attorney Carl Arnold claims Davis was not in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting and that new witnesses will support this claim.

In a motion filed last Friday (February 14), Arnold asserted that his private investigator has uncovered crucial evidence contradicting the official version of events.

“With every new piece of evidence, it becomes increasingly clear that critical facts have yet to be fully examined,” Arnold stated. “We are actively conducting further investigations, speaking with key witnesses, and ensuring that Mr. Davis receives the fair trial to which he is constitutionally entitled.”

The defense’s filing also presents the assertion that Reggie Wright Jr., former head of security for Death Row Records, and his team were responsible for 2Pac’s death.

“Our private investigator is interviewing witnesses that will be able to testify to these issues at the time of trial,” Arnold wrote in the filing.

Wright, who has previously testified before a grand jury in Davis’ case, strongly denied the allegations.

“Good luck finding someone saying that, that’s credible,” Wright told ABC News. “It’s heartbreaking they keep dragging in my name. I didn’t have anything to do with that. One of the worst days of my life was when I heard that that happened.”

Despite these new defense claims, prosecutors have yet to comment on their substance. Arguments regarding the matter are set for a February 25 hearing.

Davis’ legal history remains complex. In addition to his upcoming murder trial, he is scheduled to stand trial in early April in connection to a jailhouse fight that occurred in December 2024. He faces charges of battery by a prisoner and challenges to fight, having pleaded not guilty.

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