Defense strategy in Tupac murder case: don't believe my client

The lawyer for the man accused of murdering Tupac Shakur urged jurors on Thursday not to take his client's "bullshit" seriously.

Duane "Keffe D" Davis has admitted in police interviews, a documentary and a memoir to handing the gun used in the 1996 drive-by shooting to the man who fired at the rap superstar, but his attorney told the Las Vegas jury the admissions were made to sell books and gain fame.

"What facts do you have to support any of what Keffe D said in any of his interviews or the book?" attorney Michael Sanft told jurors, displaying a slide in his presentation with a single word: "BULLSHIT."

Prosecutors say Davis, 63, leader of a Crips gang set in Compton, California, provided the gun used in the shooting and was present in the Cadillac that pulled up beside Shakur's BMW on the Las Vegas Strip on Sept. 7, 1996.

Police never identified the shooter but called Davis the "mastermind" who obtained the gun.

In the 2019 memoir, Davis said the shooting was in revenge for Shakur's crew beating his nephew, Orlando Anderson, earlier that night following a Mike Tyson boxing match.

"Them jumping on my nephew gave us the ultimate green light to do something to their ass," Davis wrote.

Davis has pleaded not guilty. If convicted he faces up to life in prison.

The heavily publicized trial is expected to last up to six weeks.

Prosecutors on Thursday played a 2008 recording in which Davis describes his nephew firing the shots that killed Shakur, and the courtroom fell silent.

"It's his only defense, and it's a good one," said Christian, the former editor of Vibe magazine, referring to the lawyer's strategy of casting doubt on Davis's own words.