Law&Crime Sidebar - Tupac Murder Trial: The Shocking Detail That Sealed Keffe D's Fate

Episode Date: September 7, 2026

Nearly thirty years after the fatal shooting of rap icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, Nevada, former gang leader Duane "Keffe D" Davis stood trial for orchestrating the infamous 1996 ambush. Law&Crime's Jesse Weber breaks down pivotal moments from the trial, including key witness testimony, heated cross-examinations, and the ultimate jury verdict that finally brought an end to one of music history's most notorious cold cases.HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea, & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson, Heather Berzak & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrimeTwitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On September 7, 1996, Tupacore came to Las Vegas to attend a Mike Tyson fight. Nearly 30 years later, the man accused of orchestrating Tupac's murder finally stood trial. That the state cannot prove to you beyond reason without the claim that Kiki wasn't had anything to do with a first-degree murder with use of W. And over the course of this trial, the jury heard from eyewitnesses, law enforcement, even those who knew Tupac so well. To head down, taking our seat belts off, when we hurt the gunshots. When it's all held up. It was still talking, and I was trying to, I was trying to convince him to tell me the name of

whoever's assailants were. And did he ever respond? Yes, he responded, no, we'll take care of it. He said, we did the other one. And so at that point, What did you think he was talking about? Me personally, the only other one was Tupac. But we had nothing.

We didn't think he was, we were talking about Christopher Wallace. We didn't ask him any questions about Tupac. He offered that on his own. And now, after weeks of testimony, he did cross-examination, a massive, massive verdict. We are breaking down the biggest moments from the trial. of Dwayne Keefe D. Davis. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. You know, I can't believe that after almost 30 years, we actually have a verdict in connection with the murder of Tupac Shakur from back in September of 1996. It's kind of unbelievable to say

that that we're at this place. But honestly, this was quite the trial to watch out in Las Vegas, the arguments, the witnesses, the tension, the verdict. That's what I want to get into right now, Because if you didn't have the opportunity to watch every second of this trial of D.D. Davis, the only man ever arrested, criminally charged, and prosecuted for the shooting of Tupac Shakur, this is what you want to watch. The full trial recap of the biggest moments. Now, we know in talking about the moments, talking about the emotion, talking about the man, Tupac's family was in the courtroom when that verdict was read.

And his sister, Sets Shakur, was reportedly visibly emotional. There was even reports of hugging members of the prosecution team. afterward. The family later released a statement saying they are elated and relieved by today's verdict, that this is not the end of the story, emphasizing that Tupac's legacy, his impact on this world lives on today. They also specifically honored his late mother, Afini Shakur, for her strength and unwavering belief in her son's truth. This case went unsolved for decades, basically until Davis began making public statements. I mean, for example, his 2019 Membork Compton Street legend and also in various interviews.

So Davis, a 63-year-old, apparently former gang member leader, was ultimately convicted a first-degree murder with a deadly weapon for orchestrating the drive-by shooting of Tupac Choucourt. The jury deliberated for less than three hours after a trial that went on for weeks. And prosecutors argued that Davis orchestrated the killing and that it was a form of retaliation for this fight that happened earlier in the night at the MGM Grand, where Chakur and his entourage beat up Davis's nephew, Orlando Baby Lane Anderson. Now, Davis was apparently in the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired, and while he didn't pull the trigger himself,

he provided the gun and ordered the attack. Now, the prosecution's case relied heavily on Davis's own words. Prosecutors arguing that regardless of who fired the fatal shots under Nevada law, he was criminally responsible for his role in orchestrating this murder. And I'll talk about the defense in a minute, but as I do this trial recap, I really want to start. with the opening statements. This is the jury's very first introduction to the case, because there are studies and stats out there that suggest jurors sometimes make up their minds right after an opening, which, by the way, they shouldn't do. It's not even evidence. But that's just the reality of how powerful these opening statements, these first impressions can be. Now, before I jump in there,

I got to let you know, as I said, if you didn't watch this entire trial, if you didn't look at every motion, every piece of evidence, there is something that we have here, because we're kind of limited on Sidebar about how much we can show you. So if you go to the case file section on the Long Crime Plus app, we're basically opening up the evidence vault so you can inspect the raw body cam footage to the 911 calls, the crime scene photos, the full trial tapes firsthand on all these major cases that we've been covering. You get ad-free streaming of all your favorite long crime and court TV shows and we've got a special Labor Day offer for you. So you use my promo code sidebar. You'll get your first 30 days of Long Crime Plus free. The offer ends September 7th, so head

down over to Long Crime Plus, use code sidebar to subscribe today. Okay, let's get into the opening statements. And here is prosecutor Benu Palal laying out the scenario for the jury. On September 7, 1996, Tupac Chippur came to Las Vegas to attend a Mike Tyson fight. After the fight, Tupac, along with Shug Knight, Trayvon Lane, and other people that were with that group, ran into a person named Orlando and, Anderson. And Orlando Anderson is the defendant's nephew. And when they encountered Orlando Anderson sitting by himself, they attacked. That attack was captured on video. During those two and a half hours, you will learn that the defendant was escalating and planning the retribution for the beating of his beloved nephew. Now, let's be clear. Dwayne Davis did not pull the train. You will learn that Duane Davis got the gun. You will learn that he got into a white Cadillac.

Duane Davis made sure that the shooters were armed and ready to execute their revenge. And then Palau gets into the heart of the case, Davis's own words, that he admitted his involvement in police conversations, media interviews, a memoir. Duane Davis does admit to know he was mad about Orlando and he was involved. that he was in the white Cadillac, and that he procured the firearm that ultimately killed to Boschior. So, in 2017, Dwayne Davis decides to go public.

He's approached by the producers of a show called Death Row Chronicles that appears on BET. And in the 2017 public interview, he's a little evasive, but he admits to being the boss, he admits to being in the white Cadillac, and he makes to be part of the murder of Teabotian. And when he says he's the only person that can tell what happened, he's right. Because by 2017, Terrence Brown is deceased.

D'Andre Smith is deceased. Orlando baby Lane Anderson is deceased. Remarkably, in 2019, Dwayne Davis then decides he's going to publish his own book. And with regards to the book, it is certainly a lot of self-aggrandized it. But again, the core remains. He was mad about Orlando Anderson beating, about the beating of Orlando Anderson's nephew. He was in Las Vegas.

He got the gun. He was in the white catalyte and he handed the gun to the shoes. But remember when I said the defense? Yeah, the defense wasn't having any of this. No, they came out swinging. They went after the investigation itself, questioning the evidence, accusing law enforcement of everything from outright incompetence to maybe even deception. And here's defense attorney Michael Sanft, laying it all out. LAPD reached out to him, called them up and said, hey, Detective Long, we have the gun.

And we've tested it and matches back to what you're looking for in terms of the weapon that killed Tupac Shakur. Detective Wong goes to LAPD, gets the gun, transports. It puts it back, gets tested, and it comes out as not a match. LAPD tells him after he gave you a big gun to test you out. What you will also learn is out of all those people in that room, not one person verifies what KPD tells them. That the FBI, the gold standard of investigation in our country, did not go out and follow up of the FBI

follow up on what was said. Why not? Because the FBI just fall asleep, that the LEPD just didn't care. Keefe was never charged for any of what he said during that time period. And it's because they knew he was pulled back. Otherwise, they would have. Why wouldn't they? When Detective Long comes back to Las Vegas, he goes and he talks it over with the Clark County District Attorney's Office, and you know what happened then, they didn't charge the case either. In 2009, ask yourself the reason why that is, is because they just didn't care about Tupac Shakur or his life, or is because they looked into it and realized we can't verify

this information, we don't believe this to be true. What you're going to hear from witnesses that will testify to this is that KikiD was known to do this. Otherwise, it's just that. at the end of all the time you spend together, what you're going to find is that the state cannot prove to you beyond a reason without the claim that he wasn't had anything to do with it. First Supreme Murder with use of that you love. There's no facts to that matter. Essentially, how do you know anything he's saying is true? How do you know? Did you double check it?

Did you verify any of the information? Was he just making everything up? You can't believe him. So let's get into the witness testimony. And look, the first responders were on the scene, apparently within minutes. And one of them actually spoke to Tupac Shakur while he was still alive. And this is Officer Gary Dale of the Las Vegas Metro PD, took the stand and shared this haunting, but very important exchange. He was still talking and I was trying to convince him to tell me the name of whoever his assailants were.

And did he ever respond? Yes, he responded, no, we'll take care of it. Something like that. Argument being, he knew who shot him, right? This wasn't some complete stranger. But it wasn't just eyewitnesses and first responders. Now, the FBI had apparently been watching Davis and special agent Wade Lee interviewed him. back in the 90s. This was long before anyone was talking about an arrest. And according to Lee's

testimony, Davis was telling the FBI that death row records was essentially built on drug money, seemingly corroborating that it was more than just a record label. But then came the questions about Tupac Shakur. And here's what Lee claims Davis told him in this 1998 interview. Do you confront him about Mr. Anderson, the attack, and him being upset about that particular attack? Well, I mean, we asked, we asked him about that, about the whole escalation of incidents because of the gang activity.

He had the incident at the mall, then at the MGM Grand, then obviously the shooting of Tupac and things that nature. Mr. Davis said that Davis and Anderson were upset after the casino's attack on Anderson, but they weren't going to strike back with so many police officers around that they would have struck back once they returned to Compton. So he indicates to you that he's angry enough to do it. It's just he planned on doing it back from Compton, which instead of in Las Vegas. Yeah, if they were very apparently it was because of police presence in the area, something to that nature.

According to Lee, Davis admitted he was angry enough to retaliate but claimed he didn't want to do it. in Vegas. Now, the FBI wasn't the only law enforcement agency keeping tabs on Davis. No, LAPD detective Darren Dupree sat down with him too. And what Davis said during that interview would end up being some of the most damning statements, testimony of this entire trial, because Davis didn't just talk about Tupac. He brought him up completely unprompted. And during the course of that, do you ask Mr. Davis about his involvement in the biggie small murder yes and what is his response at that time he said no we didn't have anything to do with that when he said we didn't have anything to do with that one

did that trigger anything in your mind as to what he was saying whatever call yes we were like that one what do you mean and then what was it we did the other he said we did the other one And so at that point, what did you think he was talking about? Me personally, the only other one was Tupac. But we had nothing, we didn't think he was, we were talking about Christopher Wallace. We didn't ask him any questions about Tupac. He offered that on his own.

And so when he does that, is there some discussion then of, maybe having a conversation about Tupac. It was a surprise to us, number one, we were shook. We were surprised. Yes, Mr. Davis stated that his nephew, Mr. Orlando Anderson, was jumped and beat up in a club or in a hotel in Las Vegas after the Tyson flight.

he came and told Mr. Davis what happened. They went looking for Tupac, Shub, anybody who was involved, basically, in the beatdown of Mr. Anderson. And basically, Mr. Davis had the gun at first, but they came up on the passenger side of Shig Knight in Mr. Shakur's vehicle, so he couldn't shoot across the driver.

So we handed a gun to Dray in the backseat, Mr. Andrei Smith. He was afraid to shoot. Mr. Anderson grabbed the gun and shot across Mr. Smith into Mr. Knight's car that Mr. Topat Secure was in with Mr. Knight. And did he tell you what kind of vehicle he was in? In the white Cadillac. Did he tell you what kind of gun was used? A 40-calf car.

Now, I got to say this, there was always another question hanging over this trial. The conspiracy theories, right? For years, people have speculated that someone else was behind Tupac's killing, maybe even someone inside death row records. Now, the defense tried to maybe focus on that a little bit, right? Poke at that. So the prosecution called a man who knew the inner workings of death row may be better than anyone. And this is former death row security chief, Mob James.

Here's what he had to say about those theories. Did it appear to you in any way that, Reggie Wright Jr. was coordinating the murder of Tupac Shakur. Impossible. And I say this because you're aware that there have been some conspiracy theories that Reggie Wright Jr. is responsible for the murder of Tupac. His father was implicated, and his father had something to do with it. Reggie Wright used to be a police officer.

And here again, I've been knowing Reggie Wright over 50 years. His daddy as a police officer. patrolling my neighborhood. He didn't took me to jail many times when I messed up. If Reggie killed Tupac, then DeFro is over with. Tupac was the money source.

Tupac was that guy here, DeF Rowe. So, Reggie would have had a problem if he would have did that. And Shug, I truly believe if Shoeb would have opened his mouth if Reggie betrayed him.

Then it came time for cross-examination, and it got even more intense, so intense, actually, that McDonald even had words for Keefe D. Take a listen. Was there, can you describe that for us when you went back in terms of what kind of tension we're talking about? Are you sure you want me to answer that? Is it going to be graphic? No, I ain't going to, I can't raise the word in it, but you had to have to. asking me a question and you ask me questions that can hurt him.

And I, like I told them, I'm trying to avoid to answer the questions that they might look at me and say, something is wrong. Well, let me, the next question I'm asking you is when you went back to Compton, was it like a south side crib that shoots a pyruh blood and then a pirate blood shoots a south side crypt? Is that the tension that we're talking about? Do I answer this? That's a straightforward question I said yes or no answer When, okay Did you see that?

When I was a part of that life I was a part of that And I was, no, because you're asking something That's going to hurt this dude And When I When, okay, let me stop And once again, I want to emphasize

When we got back to Compton Okay It was a gang war People were getting hurt Okay People were being sought. People were looking for certain individuals from his neighborhood. Okay.

As well, they did mine. So you're telling us that people back home somehow had some type of information that said that that guy as a bunch of other people were involved in what? In a murder, two-five. Okay, but my question to you, my question is... Can you focus on me for a sentence? Yeah, I will. And I apologize. I just want to make sure that we're clear, okay? I couldn't speak that. In terms of that information, none of those people were there, right?

What people you'd be speaking on? The people that was already in the neighborhood or the people that left Las Vegas that same night, Tupac was shot to go home, bear their arms, and go to somebody else's neighborhood to look with somebody. They had to pay it back. So, once again, my question to you is that the information that I'm asking, about is the people that back home, you're saying were eyewitnesses to this? How could people back home be outwintered to something that happened in Vegas? No, that's not what I'm saying.

The people that were here in Las Vegas, listen to my questions, sir. The people that were here in Las Vegas, you're telling me where eyewitnesses to what happened and went back home. Is that what you're telling me? I'm telling you the people that was at 6-16-2. Just answer my question, sir, yes or no? I can't answer that without a what you're trying to tell me to say something that you're not going to understand if you let me explain to you.

No, answer my question. I'm not answering nothing. I don't know what he's talking about. Okay. Okay, Mr. McDonnell, focus for a second. I am focused. Be it. Focus on this.

My question to you is this. You didn't know what happened that night because you weren't there. I was at 6-6-2. Right. Do you know who was that was there? I know everybody that was there. Okay. Like who?

Talk to your lawyer, man. This dude is tripping. I'm not going to explain that. I can't answer that. Then the prosecution called Reggie Wright Jr., head of security for death row records. And he is an important witness because his testimony would establish protocols and escalating tensions. But most importantly, seemingly what you can argue to be a security failure, a lapse, that left Tupac vulnerable that night. Now, Keefe De has publicly accused Wright of orchestrating the murder, being a part of it.

Part of the theory being that Wright deliberately left Tupac vulnerable. But Wright's testimony tells a completely different story. And by the way, he's never been implicated or criminally charged. He says that the security was actually increased before the shooting because after the song hit him up dropped, apparently tensions were very high. And there was a belief that Tupac's life was at risk. After this particular sound came out about May or June, we opted to two security officers. Now, you mentioned a particular song came out that changed how you handled Tupac Chukotupac's security.

What song are you talking about? It was a song called Hit him out. And is it fair to say that in that song, Tupac is aggressively expressing his dislike for the members of Bad Boy Entertainment as well as other artists? That's fair to say. And as a result of that, you decided to change the security for Tupac or increase it. Well, I was a part of the discussion and ultimately had to prove it. but I'm sure Mr. Knight, possibly Mr. Shakur, and maybe the security officer that was primarily with him. We all agreed that he probably needed another guy with him.

Now, Wright himself wasn't with Tupac that night. He testified that he went to the club instead of the Tyson fight, so when he heard news of the shooting, he was blindsided. And then you have the infamous, by the way, the MGM security footage, right? It appears to show Tupac, Shug, others attacking Orlando Anderson. Keevi Di has said that his nephew, was humiliated. So that's what sparked the shooting. But when the fight was brought up at Shug's probation hearing, Anderson actually testified that Shug was trying to stop the fight. And according to Wright, Anderson was paid a stack of cash to essentially lie under oath. Now, we know that during this period, tensions between rival music labels and opposing gangs were at an all-time

high. Security protection became top priorities. But in a twist of fate, one of the bodyguards, apparently called out from work the night that Tupac was shot and killed. And when it came time for cross-examination, the defense pointed out that it wasn't just their client who could potentially profit from talking about this case, that it could be right too. And Wright's credibility was also called into question. Why wasn't he protecting Shug, who had a lot to lose if he violated his probation by getting into an altercation? Remember, this was Shug's essentially head of security.

So the defense, even went as far as to suggest that Wright's absence, might not have been accidental. So Shook Knight is in Las Vegas, and you were with them every single day, and in September of 1996, he just happened to get into his prey, and next you know he's going to prison, right? I'm sorry?

Why is, let me ask you this. Why did Shub go to prison? He violated his probation. Right. So you knew, of course, that he was on probation, right? The whole time I was with him. You did.

From 1994, yes. Yeah. And so you knew that the person, the number one person from death of records, the primary principle for you, potentially could go to prison if he got into a fight, for instance, right? Correct. And on this particular night, you weren't around for him when he was in this, quote-unquote, fight, right? I was around with him this tonight about 70 to 80% of his life, so I guess a lot of 20%. I wasn't with him.

So in the most important time, I should in tonight's life, having your protection, you weren't there from. Unfortunately not. That's correct. Now, one of the more unexpected witnesses to take the stand wasn't a detective, an eyewitness, even someone who knew Tupac. He was a documentary filmmaker, Michael Dorsey. So he worked on Death Row Chronicles, the show that Keefei D agreed to sit down with back in 2017. And Dorsey was hired to listen in on Davis's interviews, apparently from a separate room,

to kind of verify that Davis was telling the truth. But Dorsey didn't just listen. There was a recording of everything. And this included, apparently, conversations between Davis and his attorney who we brought along. And when Dorsey took the stand, first outside the presence of the jury for the judge to make a key ruling on some evidence,

the defense went after regarding a secret recording, what they claim was a secret recording that he took during the filming. And the prosecutor actually objected to the defense's line of questioning. And after the judge made the rule, that attorney-client privilege didn't apply because Davis was in a recording studio had signed a release, the jury was brought back in. And when cross-examination continued,

let me just tell you, things got quite contentious. Did you verify any of the information that he gave you? What do you mean? Well, the information that you learned in this case, right? Who gave me? Well, the information that you learned from either the listing of the 2008 proper or in the interview with Mr. Davis, did you go out and conduct your own investigations to verify the information? Sure. I went through, well, again, I had unfettered access to the case files, and there's lots

of corroborating evidence in those case files. Now, when you say the case files, and I want to make sure I'm clear here, you're talking about Greg Cady. Yes. And you're talking about Greg Cady who's former LAPD? Well, I'm not just talking about Greg Cating. I'm talking about the detective that came before. I am. You're trying to phrase it a certain way, not just Greg Cady. It's not just his files. In fact, the majority of them are from detectives that came before him, including Las Vegas police files. Once again, you got to understand. Greg Cady was not responsible for the investigation of the Tupap murder. Correct. He was part of the task force specifically for the Figgis Smalls murder. That's correct. And you are aware at some point he's removed from that

task force, right? Yes. The defense kept pressing Dorsey. There was even one point, where there was an accusation that former LAPD detective Greg Kating stole the Tupac file, but Dorsey wasn't having any of it. And one of the things he does is he steals the Tupac file. I object to the word steals. I'm sorry. He borrowed it. I just, I mean, I'm not, I don't mean like illegal since I object to.

This is a person I object to. I'm not raising an objection. I take issue with the word steal. Any detective can take case files with them when they leave the department. It happens all the time. It's extremely common. In fact, I just did a series on Ted Bundy last year, based on the same exact thing. One of their lead detectives on the Bundy case in the 70s took a box of files with him, and we were able to obtain those files, and we made a show about Ted Bundy based on his files.

Are you a detective, sir? No. So you can't sit here and tell us what a detective can't do. Fair? You're not a detective. Like, legally, I can't say that. I can say based on my experience as a true crime producer for the past 20 years. it's very common in my line of work to come across files that the Texas has taken home.

I don't recall what the book says specifically. All right. So if you would determine me, I think, to that book right there, looking at page 96 of the book that you read, the record and recollection. The page numbers might be different here because this is the Kindle version, but let me see. Can you just wait until I'm done with my question, sir? Can you stop saying that to him there?

Jeez, dude. Just having a normal conversation with me. You have to keep cutting me off and making you sound like a need. Now, the final prosecution witness was Robert Latt, a retired Compton gang detective with 32 years on the job, and his testimony was some of the most damaging for the defense because Ladd knew the Southside Compton Crips, intimately. And he apparently knew D. Davis. No, his later years after he became a leader, whenever I'd see him, he'd be nicely dressed, have the brim hat on, and he wouldn't have anything gangster-like on. was always well dressed. All right. So you're saying that Mr. Davis was a shock collar within the south side content crimes. Absolutely, yes. And what does that mean? Well, he could tell the

younger gangsters what to do and if they don't listen. Like I just said, there's going to be severe consequences. And Lad also testified about the Lakewood Mall incident. So this was the fight where Orlando Anderson and others allegedly jumped a member of Shugnight's entourage. And Lad, by the way, wasn't there, but as a gang expert, he explained the significance of that event. It was a highly prized medallion, and these guys wore like a badge of honor, so then try to steal this chain and beat up on this subject. It would be major display of disrespect, so now this guy's got to go back to the Mob Piru and death row records and tell them what happens. So the next time they see each other it's going to be on.

He told me that they thought the Southside Chris were responsible for the shooting. And so when he's telling you this, do you now have to have a response to this? Or why is he telling you specifically to get ready? Because when you

disrespect and shoot the biggest rap mogul on the planet and the biggest rap star on the planet, and he surrounds himself with be mob Pyrou, then there's going to be some sort of retaliation. Right after the first shooting of Darnel Brim, to me, there was no doubt in my mind that the Southside Crips were responsible because the Maupyru had to retaliate and they had 54 other gangs to choose from, but they

went right after the Southside Crips. So there's no doubt in mind who was responsible for shooting two pockets should not. In fact, in gang cases in particular what witnesses are scaring to come out is a defendant's admission of committing a murder, powerful evidence used to prosecute. Yeah, that's basically, that's how most of our gang crimes get solved is by self-admission or incrimination. Then it was the defense's term, and they put three witnesses on the stand, all aimed basically at one thing, cracking the prosecution's timeline, floating the idea that maybe there was a different white Cadillac out there that night, that also, you can't believe Dwayne Kian Kee's.

Kee-D Davis, so poking holes in the investigation. Now, I will say I feel like the defense saved their biggest name for last, maybe arguably the most important witness, Dan Long, a former LV-MPD detective who took over the Tupac investigation in 2004. And what he had to say carried serious weight because Long was in the gang unit the night of the shooting. He heard the gunfire rushed over, but the real bombshell came years later, 2009, when he sat down face-to-face with Kee-Fee-D.

But Long's testimony was a little bit more complicated than simply catching Davis in a lie. No, Davis did give investigators an account of the shooting identified the same four men. Investigators believed were in the Cadillac. But Long also said he couldn't verify several important details. And that included hospital treatment that Davis said Orlando Anderson received. And Long actually wasn't able to establish that Davis was in the Cadillac. But still, he testified that he believed there was enough probable cause to seek Davis' arrest. During the interview, Mr. Davis indicated first that Orlando Anderson or Baby Lane had been beat up at the MGM, which we all had a video on.

I think everybody on the planet has seen this video. He was complaining that his arm was either broken or out of socket. He first told me that they had gone back to California and had gone to the hospital in California. But he said they went to the hospital on Maryland Parkway, and the hospital on the hospital on the parkway is Sunnized, and that he had gotten a sling for his own. So I filled out a subpoena, and I wanted to know if Orlando had signed in, was examined in any fashion. Now, we're talking, this is 2009.

We're talking about somebody coming into the emergency room in 1996. So I didn't find anything. They couldn't apply. They couldn't give me anything with Orlando's name on it. Now under cross-examination, Long made this admission. And you know, or at least you believe you'd agree with me, that Mr. Davis was a suspect in your homicide, not a witness. Yes, sir.

And by the end of that interview, what is your... intent? My intent was to drive back to Las Vegas, type up with a warrant for an arrest, clear it with the district attorney, and have Mr. Davis arrested for murder. So after weeks of testimony, it all came down to this, closing arguments. Both sides had one last chance to convince the jury. Prosecutor Benupilal started by going after the defense's central argument head on, that Davis's story needed to be corroborated to be believed. Told the jury, that's not the law. One thing I think is very important to discuss is,

in opening statement, Mr. Saff told you, that you have to corroborate every word of the defendant's sentence in order to believe it. I think he even had a slide up there that said, I mean, not nonsense, but BS, I guess, right? B.S. Jury instruction number 42 tells you what the law is. When independent evidence establishes that the victims

was caused by the criminal agency of another, a defendant's own statement, if it believed, admitting the crime need not be further corroborated by evidence connecting the defendant to the crime. It's absolutely untrue and not part of our requirement. And then this was key, because Palau walked the jury through details that Davis apparently revealed that only someone who was there that night in that car at that shooting would know, including one specific detail that had never been made public at that time. He provides a detail that is not publicly available, right? The seaboring with the women following it.

I'm not going to pretend that this case wasn't reported on in the previous years between 1996 and 2008. The caliber of firearm was in the papers. It mentioned it's even in Mr. Davis's companies. The fact that a white Cadillap was involved, absolutely well, though. What was not well known, what was never publicized by 2008 was the sebering with the women following it. So where does he get that detail? And what's fascinating about it again is

Ingrid's not following it. It just looks like that from the perspective of somebody in the White Catalan. And the other thing about the 2008 proffer is where Mr. Davis pushes back. He's not just saying yes, yes, yes. he suggested Layton in the band too

he corrected no he's in the Cadillac they suggested Orlando's behind the driver there's confusion about where everybody said and Mr. David says no Orlando is behind me and then there's this whole exchange

about what they did with the gun and Mr. Davis said we left the gun on the tire of the catalog and the officers you still believe him that makes no sense at all You got this gun, used it in a murder. Why would you put that on a tire?

That doesn't make any sense at all. And Mr. Davis's attorney, Wayne Higgins, says, I mean, you guys aren't thinking like folks from cops. You guys are thinking like cops. And then what Mr. Davis says is, you want the truth or you want me to lie? Because the truth is, that's where the gun lies. Lastly, Mr. Davis's statement makes no sense as a lie.

The 2008 statement makes no sense as a lie. He could have said he was just a witness. So if the notion is, Mr. Davis is creating, this whole story. Why would he create the story that makes him legally liable for murder? When he could just make himself a witness. Then it was the defense's term, and Michael Samt went straight at the prosecution's evidence, or what he said, lack of it. What proof do you have?

Now, the things that we would look for would be in the MGM surveillance. Anything in there that would spot a person that looks like Mr. Davis in a suit walking through the MGM? How about paperwork, receipts, things that would indicate that, hey, I bought some stuff here in Las Vegas, you know, something along those lines? How about phone records? Anything with regards to Mr. Davis, phone records to his home, or maybe his cell phone or maybe just a phone in the hotel room because we're talking about 1996? How about photographs? According to the testimony that you heard, this was found to Shugnay. This is with Detective Laddy had said that this was a...

obtained at Chignette's house. This is a ticket stop for the Zeldon versus Tyson fight for September 7, 1996. Why would he have this ticket? Because it's important. It's an event. You go out of the fight. You know where you don't find any evidence

of this? In that guy's house? Something as important as this, or something as memorable as this, we don't find it there. Another search is done of one of the places that Mr. Davis days. And in that place, when he went in there, they're looking for information. Of course, for another investigation,

but ultimately at the end of the day, they're still wondering who, if maybe Mr. Davis was involved with the Tupac murder. And this is what they find in the receipts, and this was as of, this would be the 27th of May 1997, so a year later. They find the following. Money due bill for the Monte Carlo Casino, right?

This is what they have. This is what they do. How does that help you? It doesn't. And Samf then turned to another piece of evidence, he says, makes no sense. If Orlando Anderson was the shooter, why would Shug Nye have paid him money? With Orlando Anderson, he sues two poxas' tape for injuries. What do you do?

Why do you do that? Why do you get involved in a lawsuit if you're the guy who's the shooter and commits the crime? Why would you do that? And then he heard testimony that Shugnard. and the death row records pays him money. Why would you do that? You're Shub Knight, you're in the car, you narrowly missed death. And now you pay this guy money?

This very fearsome man, Shub Knight, who was the type of person that allegedly even held vanilla ice over a balcony, right, to get the rights of something on another, pays this guy money? This powerful man of a $300 million company? pays this guy money? How does that work? Now, this is where the common sense comes to play, doesn't it? Shooting of Shiggini, murder Tupac, and no retaliation. Tell me how that makes sense.

He then turned to the book that Davis wrote. They find the book, right? So the book is in the evidence, and you'll have an opportunity to go through the book. But you know what's interesting to the book as well? is the part that we talked about. This is in the book. Although the authors and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this book,

we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency hearing. Why is that important? Once the last time a book had that language in there? Typically, something like this would be if it's a historical

sort of fiction, right? Why is that important? because Keith, he never saw this book, never read it, never reviewed it, so when he holds it up and he tells people like, go buy the book, what's he trying to tell you? Go buy a book that's not verified, I don't know anything about, but I'm here to make money out for this book. So use your common sense.

I might feel this way, but there's no proof beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Davis committed any crime in this case, let alone murder of Tupac's occur. So if you keep asking yourself the question, You just keep lying over and over again. You keep telling a fiction. Does that change it into a fact? No.

You have to have supporting facts in order for a fiction to become a fact. Okay. So after weeks of testimony, then it went to the jury and they reached a decision. District Court, Clark County, Nevada, State Nevada versus Dwayne Keith Davis, case number C-23-37-7-407-1, Department 2. The verdict reads as follows. We, the jury in the above entitled case, find the defendant, Dwayne Keith Davis, as follows. Count one, murder with use of a deadly weapon, guilty of first degree murder with use of a deadly weapon, dated this 31st date of August, 2026.

There you go. Dwayne Davis now faces a possible sentence of life in prison with sentencing scheduled for October 26. It's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank you so much for joining us. As always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcast. You can also check us out on NBC's Peacock as well. If you want to follow me, ex-instagram, my News Nation show, Jesse Weber Live,

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