STATE OF NEVADA v. DUANE KEITH DAVIS

STATE OF NEVADA v. DUANE KEITH DAVIS
Tupac Shakur Murder Trial — Living Trial Notes & Resource
This is a living, working trial resource for State of Nevada v. Duane Keith Davis. The daily trial recaps are the main record and will grow as the trial continues. Cumulative jury questions, exhibits, Davis statements, rulings, witnesses, names, places, and timeline material are collected after the daily notes for reference.
Last updated: August 20, 2026
Daily recaps currently included: Days 1–3
CASE BASICS
Defendant: Duane Keith Davis, also known as "Keefe D" / "Keffe D"
Victim: Tupac Amaru Shakur
Court: Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, Nevada
Judge: Carli Kierny
Official Case No.: C-23-377407-1
Courtroom shorthand: C377407
Charge: Murder with Use of a Deadly Weapon with the Intent to Promote, Further or Assist a Criminal Gang
Alleged gang: South Side Compton Crips
Shooting: September 7, 1996
Shakur died: September 13, 1996
Davis arrested: September 29, 2023
Jury selection began: August 10, 2026
Jury sworn / opening statements / evidentiary Day 1: August 17, 2026
Prosecution: Chief Deputy District Attorneys Binu Palal and Marc DiGiacomo
Defense: Michael Sanft
Case Background
Tupac Shakur was shot while riding in the front passenger seat of a black BMW driven by Marion "Suge" Knight near Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Knight was injured; Shakur died six days later.
Earlier that night, Shakur, Knight and others were involved in an assault on Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson inside the MGM Grand after the Mike Tyson–Bruce Seldon fight. Anderson was Duane Davis's nephew.
The State alleges the later shooting was retaliation for that MGM assault. Its theory does not require the jury to find that Davis personally fired the shots. Prosecutors allege Davis helped organize the retaliation, was in the white Cadillac that approached the BMW, and supplied or facilitated the gun used in the shooting.
The defense argues that the 1996 investigation did not place Davis in the Cadillac and that the case built decades later depends heavily on statements attributed to Davis that were not independently verified at the time. The defense has emphasized missing or changing records, dead or unavailable witnesses, problems among the agencies involved in the investigation, and the circumstances under which Davis made later statements.
DAY 1 — AUGUST 17, 2026
Day 1 at a Glance
The jury was sworn and heard opening statements from both sides.
The State framed the shooting as retaliation for the MGM beating of Orlando Anderson and previewed Davis's later statements as central evidence.
The defense framed the case as a decades-later prosecution built on uncorroborated statements, missing records and investigative problems.
Retired LVMPD Officer Garry Dale described stopping Shakur and Knight before the shooting and later riding with Shakur to UMC.
Civilian eyewitness Ingrid Stokes described being near the BMW when the gunfire began and encountering a white/light-colored four-door car while fleeing.
Retired homicide detective Brent Becker walked the jury through the original investigation, Compton leads, hotel and telephone records, file-security problems and numerous photo lineups.
Retired LAPD detective Fred Miller introduced the Christopher Wallace investigation overlap and a June 20, 1997 recorded interview with Davis. The recording began on Day 1 and continued the next morning.
Jury questions: 2 total — one for Ingrid Stokes and one for Fred Miller.
Court / Administrative
The parties invoked the exclusionary rule. Witnesses were not to watch trial broadcasts or discuss testimony with other witnesses.
The court handled a scheduling issue involving a discovery commissioner hearing before the jury was brought in.
The jury was sworn before opening statements.
During Fred Miller's testimony, the court gave a limiting instruction making clear that neither the court nor LAPD believed Davis was involved in Christopher Wallace's murder. The Wallace material was being used to explain the later investigative contact with Davis.
Opening Statements
State — Binu Palal
The State told jurors the case begins with the September 7, 1996 MGM Grand assault on Orlando Anderson.
According to the prosecution's opening:
Trayvon Lane, associated with Death Row, had previously encountered Anderson at Lakewood Mall in California after a Death Row chain had been taken.
Lane later saw Anderson at the MGM Grand after the Tyson fight.
Shakur, Knight and others confronted and assaulted Anderson in the casino.
Anderson was questioned afterward and declined medical treatment and prosecution.
Davis and others then searched for Shakur and Knight.
Prosecutors previewed a white Cadillac occupied by Terrence Brown, Davis, DeAndre Smith and Orlando Anderson.
The State alleged Davis obtained or arranged access to a .40-caliber firearm through Eric "Zip" Martin.
Prosecutors previewed later Davis statements from federal interviews, a 2008 task-force interview, a 2009 LVMPD interview and public statements.
The State's theory is that Davis participated in and facilitated the retaliatory shooting even if another person fired the weapon.
Opening statements are argument, not evidence.
Defense — Michael Sanft
The defense asked jurors to separate "fact" from "fiction" and focused heavily on the history of the investigation.
Sanft argued:
The original 1996 investigation did not establish that Davis was in the white Cadillac.
No contemporaneous eyewitness identified Davis as an occupant.
Investigative files and reports changed, went missing or were handled inconsistently over the years.
Information coming from Compton law enforcement was not always trusted by LVMPD investigators.
Multiple law-enforcement agencies heard later statements from Davis but did not charge him in 2008 or 2009.
Later investigators relied on material developed years after the shooting, including statements, books, media appearances and information from people whose credibility the defense disputes.
The defense specifically attacked the lack of independent verification of the later Cadillac narrative and the passage of nearly 30 years before trial.
Witness 1 — Garry Dale — Retired LVMPD Officer
Role: Bicycle-patrol officer on the Strip in 1996; among the officers who encountered Shakur and Knight both before and after the shooting.
Direct Examination
Dale was working bicycle patrol south of Flamingo with a partner on September 7, 1996.
Before the shooting, he stopped a black BMW on Las Vegas Boulevard because it had no rear license plate.
Knight was driving and Shakur was the passenger.
Dale testified that the explanation for the missing plate was that they were filming and had removed it for video footage on the Strip.
Officers told them to replace the plate, gave a warning and released them.
Dale remembered Shakur wearing a large gold necklace during that traffic stop.
Later, after a shots-fired call, Dale encountered the BMW stopped in the roadway.
Knight was injured but mobile and was telling officers to take care of Shakur.
Dale went with Shakur in the ambulance to University Medical Center.
Dale asked Shakur if he could identify who had shot him or provide information.
Dale's recollection was that Shakur responded, "No, we'll take care of it," or words to that effect, more than once.
Shakur did not identify a shooter.
Dale later collected and impounded personal property associated with Shakur.
The large gold necklace Dale remembered from the earlier stop was not on Shakur after the shooting, and Dale did not recover it.
Cross Examination
Dale did not see a caravan or line of entourage vehicles behind the BMW during his earlier traffic stop.
His first contact with the BMW was a routine plate stop; he had no knowledge then of what would happen later.
He could not fill in every detail of the shooting scene from his own observation because multiple officers were responding and securing the area.
Exhibits Used
Las Vegas maps and location exhibits
Photograph of Shakur and Knight
BMW / shooting-scene photographs
Shakur property collected after the shooting
Jury Questions: 0
Witness 2 — Ingrid Stokes — Civilian Eyewitness
Role: One of four women in a convertible Sebring traveling near Knight and Shakur shortly before the shooting.
Stokes testified that she was formerly known as Ingrid Johnson.
Direct Examination
Stokes was in Las Vegas with three friends: Shalane, Tanisha and Lauren.
They were staying at the Luxor.
They had intended to attend the Tyson fight but missed it and went to the MGM area after the fight let out.
The four women were traveling in a convertible Chrysler Sebring with the top down.
Lauren knew Suge Knight and recognized him while the women were driving on the Strip.
They pulled alongside Knight's BMW and Lauren spoke with him.
Knight invited them to follow the group to Club 662.
Stokes remembered Knight driving and Shakur sitting in the front passenger seat.
As they followed, she noticed vehicles in the entourage moving around and passing, which made the women nervous.
At the traffic light near Flamingo and Koval, their Sebring was positioned near, but not directly behind, the BMW.
Stokes and Shalane were preparing to switch seats because Stokes considered herself the more aggressive driver.
They were bent down dealing with seat belts when the gunfire began.
Stokes heard the shots but did not see the shooter or see the shots being fired.
She immediately told the driver to get out of the area.
While fleeing, the Sebring nearly collided with a white or whitish four-door car in or near the turning lane.
Stokes did not look into that car and could not identify its occupants.
She was emphatic that they were not chasing or pursuing the white car.
The women turned away from the intersection and then down a residential street.
They later returned to find out what had happened.
Stokes said police made them get out and sit on the sidewalk in public view, initially treating them in a way that made them feel more like suspects than witnesses.
She described becoming less willing to talk after that treatment and expressed concern about being seen cooperating with police.
Cross Examination
Stokes had previously testified before the grand jury.
Before trial, she reviewed her prior grand-jury testimony but did not describe doing broader preparation.
The weather had been clear and warm; the convertible top was down.
She used a map and drew the approximate positions of the Sebring and Knight's BMW.
She reiterated that she did not see who fired the shots and did not see who was in the white car.
She remembered Shakur as relaxed in the passenger seat while Knight spoke with Lauren; she did not remember Shakur hanging out of the car or yelling at people.
She could not reliably identify the direction from which the gunfire was coming.
Jury Question
Q: "Could you gauge what direction the shots were coming from?"
A: "Um, no. No." She added that it was too chaotic and that she was not thinking about direction at the time.
No attorney follow-up.
Exhibits Used
Las Vegas map
Defense Exhibit A: Stokes's drawing of the vehicle positions
Jury Questions: 1
Witness 3 — Brent Becker — Retired LVMPD Homicide Detective
Role: One of the original homicide investigators assigned to Shakur's shooting.
Direct Examination
The Scene and Initial Witnesses
Becker became involved in the investigation immediately after the shooting.
He identified four people traveling behind or near Knight and Shakur who became important witnesses: Frank Alexander, Malcolm Greenidge, Katari "Kastro" Cox and Yafeu "Kadafi" Fula.
According to the accounts investigators developed, a white vehicle — commonly described as a white Cadillac — pulled alongside the passenger side of Knight's BMW.
Witness accounts varied on the number of people in that vehicle, with Becker describing a range of roughly two to four occupants.
Becker described bullet impacts on the BMW's right/passenger side, including the right rear door, right front passenger area and windshield area.
Early radio/investigative information included a white Cadillac and a .40-caliber firearm.
Suge Knight
Investigators attempted to interview Knight.
Becker testified that Knight eventually appeared with three attorneys, including David Chesnoff.
Becker's impression was that Knight was withholding information. That was Becker's investigative assessment, not an independently established fact.
Shakur died on September 13, 1996, turning the investigation into a homicide case.
MGM Video and Compton Leads
LVMPD obtained MGM surveillance showing the assault on Orlando Anderson.
Compton officers shown the video identified Anderson and recognized other people associated with the group.
Becker remembered names/monikers including "Buntry" and Trayvon Lane becoming part of the investigation.
Investigators received substantial information from informants in Compton, but Becker stressed that informant information required corroboration.
Hotels and Telephone Records
Investigators learned Anderson had stayed at the Excalibur.
Becker reviewed hotel records and made handwritten notes linking local telephone numbers with hotels including the Stardust and Monte Carlo.
He testified to calls reflected in records on the morning of September 7.
Monte Carlo material led investigators to the name Corey Edwards.
Becker also discussed telephone/pen-register work involving other Compton names that entered the investigation, including David Keith and Davion/Dave Brooks.
The pen-register investigation became another example of Becker's concern that information was leaking.
File Security / Missing Material
Becker testified that he became concerned that materials in the homicide file were being moved or were not where he left them.
He began locking material away.
He saved reports to floppy disks, which was the available technology at the time.
He testified that some early reports could no longer be located years later, including material created before he began keeping copies on floppy disks.
Becker also described seeing a person enter the autopsy room carrying a Polaroid camera. He later saw a Polaroid image of Shakur's body published in a book that was not one of the official autopsy photographs. Becker did not claim to have watched the person take the picture.
Photo Lineups
Becker and other investigators prepared numerous photo arrays, including a set of 10 shown to Frank Alexander.
People investigated through photo arrays included Orlando Anderson, Darnell Brim, Duane Davis, Terrence Brown, DeAndre Smith, Kevin Davis, David Keith, Davion Brooks and others who had emerged through Compton leads.
Becker explained the older photo-lineup process: investigators physically assembled photographs while trying not to make the target stand out.
Investigators' working theory eventually included Terrence Brown, DeAndre Smith and Orlando Anderson as possible Cadillac occupants.
Frank Alexander did not identify anyone from the arrays shown to him.
Becker testified that he was later told Alexander died by suicide.
Malcolm Greenidge declined to view the photo arrays because, according to Becker, Greenidge said he could never identify anyone.
Additional arrays were later sent to California for possible viewing by the women from the Sebring.
Becker did not recall any identification of Terrence Brown or DeAndre Smith.
California Investigation / Death Row
Becker estimated investigators made roughly 10–12 trips to California.
LVMPD attempted to work with Compton law enforcement but Becker acknowledged concerns with some Compton investigative practices.
Investigators also tried to make contact through Death Row Records and encountered difficulties getting access to people.
Becker participated in proceedings related to Knight's probation revocation, where the MGM video was relevant to Anderson's account of the assault.
Cross Examination
The defense concentrated on what the original investigation did not establish:
Becker had no California jurisdiction and depended heavily on other agencies for work in Compton and Los Angeles.
He acknowledged discomfort with some of the information or methods coming from Compton PD.
No witness identified Terrence Brown or DeAndre Smith in the lineups discussed.
Becker did not identify Davis in the MGM surveillance.
The original investigation did not produce an eyewitness identification placing Davis inside the shooter vehicle.
Defense questioning highlighted Luxor valet information describing a white Cadillac or Buick with four Black males associated with the larger vehicle movement that night.
The defense also explored the incomplete state of some reports and records decades later.
Redirect
The State returned to the overall crime scene and the number of vehicles around the BMW.
Becker discussed Knight making a U-turn after the shooting and the complexity of the vehicle scene.
The State revisited the hotel/vehicle information investigators had collected.
Exhibits Used
Crime-scene / BMW photographs
Hotel records
Photo lineups and lineup logs
Investigative reports, including Dan Ford material
Jury Questions: 0
Witness 4 — Fred Miller — Retired LAPD Detective
Role: Former LAPD Robbery-Homicide detective assigned to the Christopher Wallace / Notorious B.I.G. murder investigation.
Miller's testimony explains why LAPD interviewed Davis in 1997 and how that interview later became relevant in the Shakur case.
Direct Examination
Wallace was shot after leaving the Vibe after-party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles in March 1997.
Investigators initially had a description of a dark, newer-model Chevrolet Impala SS and a Black male suspect.
Miller testified that LAPD received information suggesting Davis might be worth investigating.
That information included a possible money dispute involving Wallace / Sean "Puffy" Combs / Bad Boy and information that Davis had driven or been ticketed in a black Chevrolet Impala SS.
LAPD searched a black 1996 Impala associated with Davis.
The vehicle was registered to Patrick Parker.
A Polaroid was recovered from the trunk and introduced during Miller's testimony.
Miller acknowledged that the Polaroid did not solve Wallace's murder.
Davis was never charged in the Wallace murder.
Court Limiting Instruction
Because the testimony initially described Davis as a person LAPD had investigated in the Wallace case, the court instructed the jury that neither the court nor LAPD believed Davis was involved in Wallace's death. The testimony was being admitted to explain the investigative context.
Cross Examination
Miller could not identify evidence establishing that Wallace or Combs actually owed Davis money.
He did not recall Davis having a violent-felony history at the time.
He did not remember personally interviewing Patrick Parker.
The Polaroid recovered from the Impala did not identify Wallace's killer.
Jury Question
Q: "If the car was owned by someone else, why were they not questioned?"
A: Miller said he did not remember whether Parker was interviewed by someone else, but Miller did not remember interviewing him personally.
After the jury question, the defense was allowed to reopen briefly on a different subject and asked whether there was evidence Wallace or Combs actually owed Davis money. Miller said he was not aware of such evidence.
June 20, 1997 Davis Interview
The State then began playing the recorded LAPD interview of Davis.
In the portion heard on Day 1:
Detectives explained that they were investigating Wallace's murder.
Davis described being at the Petersen Automotive Museum party.
He discussed the vehicle he had been using and pushed back on investigators' interest in the Impala.
The interview covered where he was in and around the parking area, who he saw, his vehicle, and his movements after leaving.
Davis denied involvement in Wallace's killing.
The recording was not finished before the end of Day 1 and continued on Day 2.
Exhibits Used
State Exhibit 66 — Polaroid recovered from the Impala
1997 LAPD Davis interview audio/transcript materials
Jury Questions: 1
DAY 2 — AUGUST 18, 2026
Day 2 at a Glance
The day began with the continuation of Davis's June 20, 1997 LAPD interview recording; this was not a new live civilian witness.
Autopsy and medical testimony established Shakur's cause of death as gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen and manner of death as homicide.
MGM surveillance and maps were used to walk jurors through the casino and the Orlando Anderson assault.
A contemporaneous MGM security report added details not visible on the surveillance video, including the contact with the man in the No. 13 jersey near Coyote Cafe.
Kenneth Rios described his post-assault contact with Anderson, who declined medical treatment and did not want to pursue a report.
William Heidmeyer described hearing three volleys of gunfire from the Maxim parking structure and seeing a man holding a handgun afterward, but he did not see that man fire.
Dean O'Kelley described seven .40 S&W cartridge cases, a separate bullet fragment and the changing early descriptions/directions of the white Cadillac.
James "Mob James" McDonald and Reggie Wright Jr. gave the jury two different views of security around Club 662 and Death Row. McDonald confirmed his informal group had guns; Wright described a separate professional-security operation and a no-firearms rule inside the club.
Jury questions: 9 total across Gavin, Ingram, Rios, O'Kelley, McDonald and Wright.
Court / Administrative
The State remained in its case-in-chief.
The court addressed foundations for the MGM video, the old VHS surveillance system and evidence handling.
The MGM security report prompted a hearsay dispute. The court allowed limited use of the report to show that it contained observations beyond what could be seen on the video, rather than simply treating every statement in the report as true.
Continuation of June 20, 1997 Davis/LAPD Recording
The first portion of Day 2 was the remainder of the recorded LAPD interview introduced through Fred Miller.
Davis described:
Being at the Petersen Automotive Museum party on the night Wallace was killed.
Waiting around the parking/valet area and seeing people run back after word spread that Wallace had been shot.
People he remembered being in or around the area, including Keyshawn Johnson and Ricky Bell.
His clothing, including a blue Michael Jordan-style jumpsuit.
Leaving the area in a green rental vehicle.
Going to Jerry's Deli afterward.
People he remembered seeing or speaking with there, including "Wonder Mike," Wendell and Paula.
His vehicle history and the black Impala that investigators had searched.
His position that LAPD was looking in the wrong direction and that he had nothing to do with Wallace's murder.
This material was part of Davis's own 1997 recorded statement, not live testimony from a new witness.
Witness 5 — Thomas Kern — Crime Scene Analyst / Fingerprint Examiner
Role: LVMPD crime-scene analyst in 1996; present at Shakur's autopsy with field-training officer David LeMaster.
Direct Examination
Kern had been in his first year as an LVMPD crime-scene analyst in 1996.
Crime-scene analysts documented scenes and recovered potential evidence.
Kern went with LeMaster to Shakur's autopsy.
He identified photographs showing Shakur's body bag, body, tattoos and injuries.
He identified photographs of projectile material recovered during the autopsy.
He also identified an evidence bag sealed by LeMaster in 1996.
Kern explained the evidence-seal system and testified that the seal appeared to have remained intact since the evidence was packaged.
Cross Examination
No cross-examination.
Exhibits Used
State Exhibits 44–56 — autopsy/body/injury/projectile photographs
State Exhibit 128 — autopsy evidence packaging
Jury Questions: 0
Witness 6 — Dr. Lisa Gavin — Forensic Pathologist
Role: Clark County forensic pathologist who reviewed the original autopsy because the original examiner, Dr. Jordan, is deceased.
Direct Examination
Gavin reviewed the autopsy report, photographs, medical records, investigative material and related documentation.
She explained that she formed her own cause-and-manner opinions from the available records rather than simply repeating Dr. Jordan's conclusion.
Shakur survived for several days after the shooting and underwent extensive medical intervention before his death.
Gavin explained that some of the swelling/bloating visible in the autopsy photographs was related to life support and fluid resuscitation.
Wounds Discussed
Right chest
Entrance wound on the right side of the chest.
Projectile traveled through the right chest and right lung toward the sternal area.
Medical records showed major bleeding into the chest.
The lung injury was severe enough that surgeons removed the lung in an effort to save him.
Right thigh / abdomen
Entrance wound on the lateral right thigh.
Projectile traveled upward into the abdomen and damaged the intestines.
Surgery removed part of the intestine.
A projectile was recovered during surgery.
Right flank
A wound on the right side/flank did not penetrate deeply into the body.
Gavin described it as consistent with a projectile or fragment that had lost energy after striking something else.
Right hand
Gunshot wound entered the back of the right hand/ring-finger area.
It passed through and fractured bone before exiting.
Gavin noted older scars that were consistent with prior gunshot wounds unrelated to the fatal shooting.
Cause and Manner of Death
Cause: Gunshot wounds of chest and abdomen.
Manner: Homicide.
Gavin explained "homicide" in the medical-examiner context as death at the hands of another; it is a forensic classification, not a verdict on legal guilt.
Cross Examination
The defense emphasized that Gavin was reviewing records created approximately 30 years earlier.
Gavin found the records adequate for the opinions she gave.
She did not identify missing documentation that prevented her from reaching those opinions.
She was not conducting a medical-malpractice review of Shakur's treatment.
Jury Questions
Q1: "Were there any wounds to the head that you or Dr. Jordan observed or noted?"
A: No.
Q2: "Were all the bullets found of the same caliber?"
A: Gavin did not know the caliber of the projectile recovered during surgery.
The State followed up by asking whether she knew the caliber of the projectile recovered at autopsy. Gavin said she did not; firearm caliber determination was outside the opinion she was offering.
The defense followed up by asking whether she knew if LVMPD or another expert later examined the fragments. She did not know.
Exhibits Used
Autopsy photographs
Projectile photographs/evidence
State Exhibit 59 — Suge Knight medical records, introduced immediately after Gavin
Jury Questions: 2
Witness 7 — Michael Ingram — MGM Surveillance / Investigations
Role: MGM Resorts investigator called to authenticate and explain surveillance video and the MGM layout.
Direct Examination
Ingram explained that MGM's 1996 surveillance system recorded to VHS.
Tapes were reused, and image quality could deteriorate with repeated use.
He authenticated MGM surveillance from the night of the Tyson fight.
A map was used to orient jurors to locations including: elevator core, food-court promenade, casino floor, North Key checkpoint, Coyote Cafe, and exits.
The footage followed a man wearing a Miami Dolphins Dan Marino No. 13 jersey.
Jurors watched the movement through the casino and the assault in the elevator-core area.
Ingram explained that some cameras scanned automatically while others could be moved or focused by surveillance personnel.
Cross Examination
Ingram was not the person who originally collected the 1996 video.
His authentication was based on his knowledge of MGM, the video and the property layout.
He could not independently establish every historical time/date detail beyond what was preserved on the recording.
The defense explored camera blind spots, what parts of the property were or were not preserved and how much video police would typically request after an incident.
MGM Security Report
The defense established that MGM had a written security report from the night of the assault.
Ingram did not write the report and did not know its author personally.
The report described the man in the sports jersey forcing past or through a security area, being stopped/questioned near Coyote Cafe/North Key, repeatedly looking back, and then a larger group forcing through the checkpoint before the man ran toward the elevator core and was attacked.
The report contained observations that were not visible in the surveillance footage. The court allowed it for that limited purpose after argument over hearsay.
Defense Exhibit B was used for the report. Page 1 was clearly accepted; the status of a second page was still being discussed in the transcript.
Jury Question
The juror asked where the MGM security officer/report writer was positioned when observing the person in the jersey near Coyote Cafe.
Ingram used the map to place the initial security contact near the Coyote Cafe / checkpoint area.
The court did not ask a second part of the written question that would have required Ingram to explain why the original officer made a particular decision he could not know.
Attorney Follow-Up
The defense emphasized that Ingram did not recognize the report author and had no personal knowledge about that person's current availability or training.
Exhibits Used
State Exhibit 115 — MGM surveillance video
State Exhibit 144 — MGM property/map exhibit
Defense Exhibit B — MGM security report
Jury Questions: 1
Witness 8 — Kenneth Rios — Retired LVMPD Officer
Role: Uniformed officer working the MGM response after the assault on Orlando Anderson.
Direct Examination
Rios was on duty at the MGM after the Tyson fight.
He contacted Anderson, who was wearing the No. 13 jersey seen in the video.
Anderson said he had been attacked/jumped by people he did not know.
Anderson did not want medical treatment.
He did not want to make a police report or pursue prosecution.
Rios remained with Anderson while other officers were alerted about the people who had left the area.
Jury Question
Q: After an assault like that, was it customary for officers not to follow the people who committed the assault and instead stay with the person believed to be the victim?
Rios answered that his role at that point was to remain with the victim because other officers had already been notified by radio. MGM security and officers elsewhere on the property could respond to the people who had left.
No attorney follow-up.
Jury Questions: 1
Witness 9 — William Heidmeyer — Maxim Hotel Security
Role: Maxim Hotel and Casino security employee positioned in the parking structure near Flamingo and Koval when the shooting occurred.
Direct Examination
Heidmeyer was working at the Maxim, near the northwest corner of Flamingo and Koval.
He was on a third-floor parking-garage ramp on the southeast side of the property with two Metro officers and another security officer.
They were dealing with an unrelated problem involving several stolen Dodge Caravans.
Shortly before or around 11:17 p.m., Heidmeyer heard gunfire.
He described three separate volleys.
He estimated roughly three to five shots per volley, or approximately nine to fifteen shots total.
He then observed a procession of vehicles moving through the area.
Vehicles he recalled included: a white Dodge Stratus near the front, the black BMW, other dark-colored vehicles, a white Chevrolet Suburban, and additional vehicles; he estimated the procession may have been around 10 cars but did not count them.
He saw several people outside vehicles.
He saw a young Black man, well dressed in a white three-quarter-sleeve shirt, black pants and a black dress vest, holding a semiautomatic pistol down at his side.
He did not see the man point or fire the weapon.
Heidmeyer's thought that the man might be involved was an immediate inference based on seeing a gun after hearing the shooting, not an eyewitness identification of the shooter.
He saw vehicles make a U-turn and head west.
Metro officers at the structure responded/pursued.
Cross Examination
Cross focused on what Heidmeyer could and could not actually see from the parking structure and the fact that he never saw the armed man fire.
Jury Questions: 0
Witness 10 — Dean O'Kelley — LVMPD Evidence / Scene Investigation
Role: LVMPD investigator who worked the shooting scene and later described the scene evidence, report system and early suspect-vehicle information.
Direct Examination
O'Kelley explained how LVMPD reports were generated and how radio information was documented.
He described the high-priority "code red" type response after the shots-fired call.
At the scene, investigators marked cartridge cases and other evidence with cones.
Seven spent .40 S&W Winchester cartridge cases were recovered.
A separate bullet/projectile fragment was located under another cone.
That explains why scene photographs showed eight cones even though there were seven cartridge cases.
O'Kelley discussed the packaging and later handling of the cartridge cases and fragment.
He also described fingerprint-processing efforts; the evidence discussed did not produce a usable identification linking a person to the recovered items.
Early Cadillac Information
O'Kelley's testimony showed that the suspect-vehicle information changed during the first response:
Initial information: light-colored Cadillac; two Black male occupants; northbound on Audrey/Linq Lane
Later update: white Cadillac; possibly four Black male occupants; southbound on Koval
These were investigative/radio reports O'Kelley received or documented, not O'Kelley's personal eyewitness identification of the Cadillac.
Cross Examination
The defense explored timing and report-writing practices.
It focused on the differences between the initial and later Cadillac descriptions, number of occupants and direction of travel.
The defense also questioned what was preserved in reports and how later investigators would know which early information was reliable.
Jury Question
A juror noticed that photographs showed eight cones but only seven evidence containers for cartridge cases and asked whether another bullet/casing was missing.
O'Kelley explained that the eighth cone marked the separate bullet/projectile fragment; the other seven cones corresponded to the seven spent cartridge cases.
The State used the answer to clarify the projectile evidence.
Exhibits Used
State Exhibits 34–41 — shooting-scene/evidence items
State Exhibit 129 and subparts — cartridge cases
State Exhibit 130 — projectile/bullet-fragment evidence
Related scene maps/photos
Jury Questions: 1
Witness 11 — James "Mob James" McDonald
Role: Compton/Death Row associate who helped with informal security around Club 662; separate from Reggie Wright Jr.'s professional security operation.
Direct Examination
McDonald made clear he was appearing because of a court order/subpoena and was not eager to testify.
He discussed Club 662 and the meaning of "662" as MOB on a phone keypad.
He described a neighborhood/homeboy group that helped around the club.
He distinguished his group from Reggie Wright Jr.'s formal security company: they were "two different entities."
McDonald estimated there could be roughly 30–40 homeboys working or around the club.
Their arrangements were informal and could involve cash from Suge Knight rather than Wright's payroll system.
McDonald said his group had guns.
He was not at the actual shooting.
The early information reaching the club was that Shakur was talking and might be okay.
McDonald offered his opinion that Death Row had no business reason to kill Shakur because Shakur was highly valuable to the label. That was McDonald's opinion.
Jury Question
Q: Did Reggie Wright Jr. instruct security not to have firearms on the night of the fight?
McDonald said he did not know what Wright told Wright's own police/security personnel. He emphasized again that Wright was not giving that instruction to McDonald's separate group because "we had ours."
Defense Follow-Up
The defense asked directly whether McDonald's group had guns that night.
McDonald: Yes.
Jury Questions: 1
Witness 12 — Reggie Wright Jr. — Rightway Security / Death Row
Role: Former Compton police officer; founder of Rightway security; responsible for professional security around Death Row and later involved in day-to-day Death Row management.
Direct Examination
Wright described growing up in Compton and later becoming a police officer.
He formed Rightway Protective Services and used professional security personnel, including off-duty, reserve and retired law-enforcement officers.
Death Row became the overwhelming majority of Rightway's business.
Wright distinguished his professional operation from McDonald's informal neighborhood group.
He described tension over security screening and weapons at Club 662.
Wright's rule was that his professional security personnel were not to have firearms inside the club.
Frank Alexander was assigned to Shakur.
Wright said Shakur went to the fight without the level of security Wright would ordinarily have preferred; Alexander was one of the security people with him.
Wright remained at Club 662.
Security personnel had communication methods intended for emergencies.
After the shooting, Alexander did not call Wright.
Wright testified that he learned about the shooting later, in person, from people arriving at the club.
He then became involved in the hospital/security response.
Death Row Management
Wright later became the day-to-day manager / point of contact for Death Row while Knight was incarcerated.
He did not know of a written document formally transferring "power" to him.
He did not have a power of attorney.
Important documents could still be taken to Knight.
Testimony also explored how checks and documents were handled, including use of a stamp for Knight's signature in some business operations.
Wright described himself as someone Knight trusted to handle day-to-day matters.
Cross Examination
The defense pressed Wright on:
The limited amount of formal security surrounding Shakur that night.
The failure of Alexander or others to immediately contact Wright after the shooting.
The distinction between Wright's professional group and the armed homeboy group.
Wright's later authority at Death Row and the absence of a formal written transfer or power of attorney.
His control/access within the company after Knight was incarcerated.
Jury Questions
Q1: If the communication devices were for emergencies, why did no one call Wright after the shooting? Why did he learn in person?
A: Wright said he did not know. He identified Alexander as the person who should have contacted him.
Q2: Was there anything in writing transferring management authority to Wright over Death Row?
A: Not to Wright's knowledge.
Q3: Were there witnesses to the transfer/management arrangement?
A: Wright referred to a woman present in the courtroom whom he said he signed to the label while Knight was incarcerated and described people involved in the company's business operations.
Defense Follow-Up from Jury Questions
The defense returned to:
what "general manager" meant
lack of a power of attorney
documents still being taken to Knight
use of Knight's signature stamp
who generated checks and who physically stamped them
Wright's access to and role within Death Row
Wright's testimony that Knight trusted him to handle business
Jury Questions: 3
DAY 3 — AUGUST 19, 2026
Day 3 at a Glance
Day 3 centered on Davis's federal cooperation history and the later task-force interviews that became central to the prosecution.
Former FBI Special Agent Wade Lee described Davis's July 14, 1998 federal proffer and April 1999 follow-up.
Lee testified that Davis denied involvement in Shakur's murder in 1998 and offered an alternative theory involving Compton police, while also giving extensive information about gangs, drugs, Death Row and people connected to the case.
Cross-examination established that Lee personally did not verify many of the Shakur-specific details Davis gave, including hotel, vehicle and Las Vegas-presence claims.
Retired LAPD detective Daryn Dupree then described the 2006-era multi-agency Wallace task force and the December 18, 2008 meeting in which Davis gave a much more detailed account of the Shakur shooting.
According to Dupree's summary of Davis's later account, Davis placed himself in the white Cadillac, described passing a .40-caliber gun to the back seat and identified Orlando Anderson as the shooter.
Dupree acknowledged that the task force's main verification effort initially focused on the alleged Sean Combs / Zip Martin payment angle, and that investigators did not independently verify Terrence Brown's presence in Las Vegas while Brown was still alive.
The 2008 and 2009 recordings/transcripts were introduced, but the court decided not to start full playback late in the day. The jury had heard only a brief authentication excerpt plus Dupree's live summary by adjournment.
Jury questions: 3 total — two for Lee and one for Dupree.
Court / Administrative
Before the jury entered, the court dealt with Dupree's medical appointment in California the following day.
The defense wanted to preserve the ability to question Dupree again after the jury heard the recordings rather than be forced to complete all cross-examination before the recordings were played.
The parties discussed recalling Dupree by Zoom.
Dupree agreed to remain subject to recall and not discuss his testimony while that possibility remained.
Near the end of the day, the court decided it made more sense to play the lengthy 2008 recording as a block rather than start it with only a short amount of trial time remaining.
Witness 13 — Wade Lee — Former FBI Special Agent
Role: FBI agent who investigated Davis in a federal drug case and participated in Davis's July 14, 1998 proffer.
Background / Safe Streets
Lee served roughly 25 years with the FBI.
He worked Project Safe Streets in the Los Angeles area, focusing on gangs, violent crime and narcotics.
His squad concentrated on Watts / South Central; another squad handled Compton.
His partner was Todd Holiday.
Agencies participating in the broader Safe Streets effort included federal and local law-enforcement partners.
Lee discussed the Grape Street Crips and the Jordan Downs housing projects as a major focus of his work.
Davis came into the investigation through associates including Rodney "Speedy" Blackman.
The federal case against Davis was developed in part through court-authorized wiretaps.
Davis ultimately faced federal cocaine-trafficking charges and pleaded guilty.
July 14, 1998 Proffer
The interview took place July 14, 1998.
Lee's FD-302 memorializing it is dated July 16, 1998.
Participants included: Wade Lee, Todd Holiday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Terrell, Davis, and Davis's attorney, Edy Fall.
The interview was not audio recorded.
Lee explained the proffer as a cooperation setting in which Davis was expected to be truthful and hoped to receive consideration in his federal case.
Lee documented the interview in an FBI FD-302.
What Lee Said Davis Discussed in the 1998 Proffer
The following material is Lee's testimony about what Davis said in 1998, not independent proof of the underlying claims.
Eric "Zip" Martin / Drug Associates
Davis described Zip as a New York associate involved in pimping, marijuana and PCP.
Davis said Patrick Bernard had been involved in a PCP transaction with Zip.
Davis said he met Zip through a man called "Fats" at a baseball game around 1993–94.
Davis discussed other large-scale drug figures and transactions, including Wayne Day, "Fats," "Primo" and others.
Lee's testimony included claims by Davis about very large quantities of cocaine; cross-examination later focused on whether those particular numbers had been independently verified.
Death Row / Compton
According to Lee, Davis discussed:
Harry-O as a source of startup money for Death Row.
Patrick Johnson and an approximately $80,000 contribution.
Davis's own role in delivering some money.
Suge Knight, Mob Piru and drug/gang relationships in Compton.
Reggie Wright Jr. and Reggie Wright Sr.
Allegations of corruption involving Compton police personnel, including Sgt. Reynolds and Lt. Reggie Wright Sr.
Rightway security and Compton officers working Death Row events.
An auto-body shop called Untouchables and people Davis associated with drug distribution and Death Row.
Lakewood Mall
Lee's 302 recorded Davis describing an incident weeks before the Shakur shooting involving a South Side Crip named Marcus being attacked at a mall.
According to the account, Orlando Anderson and others intervened.
On cross, Lee acknowledged that he did not independently verify the mall incident with the relevant police department or mall authorities.
Las Vegas / MGM
According to Lee's 1998 account of what Davis said:
Anderson was attacked at MGM by Blood-affiliated/Death Row people after the Tyson fight.
Davis, Anderson and girlfriends returned to a room at the Excalibur.
Davis said the room was in Anderson's name.
Davis described traveling to Las Vegas in a Land Cruiser.
He named associates including Corey Edwards, Kevin Davis, Terry Brown / "Bubble Up," Big Dre and Wynn as people who had traveled to Las Vegas.
Davis denied that his group killed Shakur.
Davis offered an alternative theory that Compton police officers working with or around Knight might have been responsible.
Christopher Wallace / Petersen
Davis said Zip had introduced him to Wallace.
Davis described being at the Petersen Automotive Museum party the night Wallace was killed.
He discussed seeing Death Row-associated women and events around the party.
This overlapped with the subject matter of the 1997 Miller interview.
April 15, 1999 Follow-Up
Lee also discussed a later FBI interview on April 15, 1999, documented in another FD-302.
Lee described Davis as cooperative and open during the earlier session.
The follow-up was intended to obtain additional identifications/information and test or develop gang-investigation leads.
Cross Examination
The defense focused heavily on what Lee and his team did not verify.
Lee acknowledged that he personally did not verify:
whether the Excalibur room was actually registered to Anderson
the Land Cruiser detail
whether each named associate was actually in Las Vegas
Davis's alternative Compton-PD shooting theory
the Lakewood Mall incident
several of Davis's gang-leadership/drug-volume claims
Lee also testified:
He was not assigned as a Shakur homicide investigator.
His squad's primary mission was gang/narcotics work.
He did not personally contact LVMPD to report that Davis said he was in Las Vegas.
The wiretaps did not contain Davis admitting involvement in Shakur's murder.
Lee did not recall wiretap evidence showing Davis ordering a hit or "green-lighting" violence.
Some general facts Davis provided could be compared to information already known through surveillance, wiretaps, informants or witness statements.
That did not mean every Shakur-specific claim was independently verified.
Court Limiting Instruction
The court instructed jurors that evidence about Davis's federal drug trafficking, gang affiliation and conviction was not being offered to show bad character or propensity. It was being admitted for limited purposes connected to the statements and issues such as credibility, motive and identity.
Jury Questions
Q1: If the proffer information was not followed up as a Shakur investigation, what was the reason for interviewing Davis again in jail/prison?
Lee explained that investigators had continuing gang/drug investigative work and used Davis to make identifications, provide information and answer questions connected to those investigations.
Q2: Did the FBI verify information Davis provided?
Lee explained that some information could be compared with things the FBI already knew from surveillance, wiretaps, witnesses or other records. He also said that, nearly 30 years later, it was difficult to reconstruct every follow-up action and that old drug transactions could be difficult or impossible to verify.
No attorney follow-up to the jury questions.
Exhibits Used
State Exhibit 146 — July 1998 FD-302
State Exhibit 149 — April 1999 FD-302
State Exhibit 75 — federal charging/plea/judgment material
Jury Questions: 2
Witness 14 — Daryn Dupree — Retired LAPD Detective
Role: LAPD detective who worked on the later multi-agency Christopher Wallace task force with Greg Kading and was present for key Davis meetings in 2008–2009.
Task-Force Background
Dupree described a multi-agency Wallace task force created in the context of litigation brought by Wallace's family and allegations involving LAPD.
Agencies represented in the broader effort included LAPD, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, FBI, ATF and DEA.
The task force's initial mission involved Wallace's murder and possible law-enforcement involvement.
Investigators reviewed Shakur material because the two cases overlapped through people, gangs, record-label relationships and theories investigators were pursuing.
Dupree described Greg Kading as a lead investigator in the task force.
Contact with Davis
Investigators approached Davis while working the Wallace case and related federal/narcotics angles.
Dupree remembered Davis initially distancing himself from Wallace's murder.
According to Dupree, Davis then said words to the effect of, "We did the other one," referring to Shakur.
Dupree described a December 18, 2008 meeting in which Davis gave a detailed account.
People Dupree remembered being involved included Kading, Wayne Higgins and another task-force member whose name is unclear in the automated transcript.
The meeting was recorded.
Dupree's Summary of Davis's 2008 Shakur Account
The following is Dupree's testimony about Davis's statement, not independent eyewitness testimony from Dupree.
According to Dupree:
Orlando Anderson had been beaten at the MGM after the Tyson fight.
Davis and others were angry and looked for Knight and Shakur afterward.
The group was in a white Cadillac.
Davis initially had the gun.
When the Cadillac reached the passenger side of Knight's BMW, Davis could not fire across the driver.
Davis passed the gun toward the back seat.
DeAndre "Big Dre" Smith would not shoot.
Orlando Anderson took the gun and fired across Smith toward the BMW.
Davis described the weapon as a .40 caliber.
Dupree's testimony placed the alleged occupants as:
Terrence Brown — driver
Davis — front passenger
DeAndre Smith — rear driver side
Orlando Anderson — rear passenger side
Again, this was Dupree recounting Davis's later statement.
Sean Combs / Zip Martin Allegation and New York Trip
Dupree testified that Davis also described an alleged solicitation/payment involving Sean "Puffy" Combs and Zip Martin.
According to the statement, the alleged solicitation was connected to Greenblatt's Deli in Los Angeles.
That location gave the Los Angeles investigators a possible jurisdictional connection to explore the Shakur murder.
The task force treated the alleged payment angle as a major lead.
Dupree traveled to New York with Davis in an attempt to reestablish contact with Zip and investigate the payment story.
The effort did not verify the alleged payment.
Verification / What the Task Force Did Not Establish
Cross-examination focused on the order in which investigators pursued leads and what remained unverified.
Dupree testified:
The task force initially concentrated heavily on the alleged Combs/Zip payment angle.
Investigators did not verify Terrence Brown's presence in Las Vegas before Brown later died.
Brown was alive during part of the later investigation.
Dupree's team did not establish through its own work that all four alleged Cadillac occupants were in Las Vegas.
The New York effort did not confirm the payment story.
Darnell Brim was still alive; Dupree did not testify that Brim was dead.
Dupree did not establish that his task force itself interviewed Brim about the case. He believed earlier investigators may have dealt with him.
2009 LVMPD Interview
Dupree also participated in the September 9, 2009 interview involving LVMPD.
That interview was recorded.
The State introduced the 2009 recording and transcript through Dupree.
Dupree described the 2009 setting as separate from the December 2008 meeting.
Dupree's Credibility Opinion
On redirect, Dupree explained why he personally believed the core of Davis's 2008 account.
Dupree said he found it significant that Davis placed the gun in the hands of his own nephew, Orlando Anderson.
He described Anderson as highly respected in Davis's neighborhood and said he did not believe Davis would put that kind of accusation or "smut" on his nephew if it were not true.
This was Dupree's personal/cultural credibility assessment, not independent corroboration of the shooting account.
Jury Question
Q: "For clarity, would you say the feds were more worried about the bigger fish and the whole puzzle rather than the pieces, being you had the information from Keefe and didn't need to put it together?"
Dupree agreed that investigators were concerned with the bigger picture, while explaining that earlier investigations into both homicides had already run many of the smaller leads. He described the later effort as a different, multi-agency approach that began with Wallace and expanded into Shakur.
No attorney follow-up.
Exhibits Used
State Exhibit 117 — December 18, 2008 recording
State Exhibit 110 — December 18, 2008 transcript
State Exhibit 147 — December 18, 2008 vehicle/occupant chart
State Exhibit 118 — September 9, 2009 recording
State Exhibit 111 — September 9, 2009 transcript
What the Jury Had Heard by the End of Day 3
By adjournment:
The 2008 and 2009 recording/transcript exhibits had been introduced through Dupree.
A brief excerpt of the 2008 recording had been used for authentication.
The jury had heard Dupree's live summary of Davis's 2008 account.
The full 2008 recording had not yet been played.
The full 2009 recording had not yet been played.
With only a short amount of time left, the judge released the jury and said it made more sense to play the 2008 recording as a block.
Jury Questions: 1
MASTER JURY QUESTIONS
Totals Through Day 3
Day 1: 2
Day 2: 9
Day 3: 3
Total: 14 jury-question sequences
Witnesses with at least one jury question: 10
Witnesses with none: 4
Day 1
Witness 1 — Garry Dale — 0
Witness 2 — Ingrid Stokes — 1
Could she gauge the direction the shots were coming from?
Answer: No; the scene was too chaotic and she was not focused on direction.
Witness 3 — Brent Becker — 0
Witness 4 — Fred Miller — 1
If the Impala was owned by someone else, why was the owner not questioned?
Answer: Miller did not remember whether another investigator interviewed owner Patrick Parker; Miller did not remember doing so personally.
Day 2
Witness 5 — Thomas Kern — 0
Witness 6 — Dr. Lisa Gavin — 2
1. Were there any head wounds? No.
2. Were all recovered bullets the same caliber? Gavin did not know the caliber of the projectile recovered during surgery and did not know the caliber of the autopsy projectile.
Witness 7 — Michael Ingram — 1
Where was the MGM security officer/report writer positioned when observing the No. 13 jersey near Coyote Cafe?
Answer: Ingram used the MGM map to place the initial security contact near the Coyote Cafe / checkpoint area.
Witness 8 — Kenneth Rios — 1
Was it customary to remain with the assault victim instead of following the attackers?
Answer: Rios said his job was to remain with the victim because other officers had already been notified.
Witness 9 — William Heidmeyer — 0
Witness 10 — Dean O'Kelley — 1
Why did scene photos show eight cones but only seven cartridge-case evidence containers?
Answer: Seven cones marked spent cartridge cases; the eighth marked a separate bullet/projectile fragment.
Witness 11 — James "Mob James" McDonald — 1
Did Reggie Wright Jr. tell security not to have guns that night?
Answer: McDonald did not know what Wright told Wright's separate professional group; McDonald's group had its own guns.
Witness 12 — Reggie Wright Jr. — 3
1. Why did no one call Wright on the emergency communication system after the shooting?
Answer: Wright did not know; he said Frank Alexander had that responsibility.
2. Was management authority over Death Row transferred to Wright in writing?
Answer: Not to his knowledge.
3. Were there witnesses to the management arrangement?
Answer: Wright identified people involved in the company's business and referred to a woman present in court whom he had signed to the label while Knight was incarcerated.
Day 3
Witness 13 — Wade Lee — 2
1. Why was Davis interviewed again if the Shakur information was not pursued as a homicide case?
Answer: The FBI had continuing gang/drug investigative work and wanted additional identifications and information.
2. What proffer information was verified?
Answer: Some general information could be compared to existing surveillance, wiretaps, witnesses and records; Lee could not reconstruct every follow-up decades later and did not claim all Shakur-specific details were verified.
Witness 14 — Daryn Dupree — 1
Were federal investigators more concerned with the "bigger fish" / overall puzzle than assembling the individual Tupac pieces?
Answer: Dupree agreed they were looking at the larger picture and described the later multi-agency investigation as a different approach after earlier case work had run many leads.
MASTER EXHIBIT LIST
This section is a quick lookup. The daily notes contain the context for how each item was used.
Day 1
State 1–2: Las Vegas maps / location exhibits
State 3: Shakur and Knight photograph
State 4–8: BMW / shooting-scene photographs
State 9–32: Additional crime-scene photographs
State 33: Shakur personal property collected after the shooting
State 66: Polaroid recovered during LAPD search of the black Impala
State 76–85: Photo lineups shown during Becker
State 86: Photo-lineup log
State 87–91: Additional/later photo arrays
State 143: Dan Ford report
Defense A: Ingrid Stokes vehicle-position drawing
1997 LAPD Davis interview: Audio/transcript exhibits introduced through Fred Miller; exact number-to-format mapping remains to be matched against the exhibit face.
Day 2
State 34–41: Shooting-scene / physical-evidence photographs/items
State 44–56: Autopsy/body/injury/projectile photographs
State 59: Suge Knight medical records
State 115: MGM surveillance video
State 128: Autopsy evidence packaging
State 129 and subparts: Cartridge-case evidence
State 130: Bullet/projectile-fragment evidence
State 144: MGM map/layout
Defense B: MGM security report
Defense C: Club 662 photograph
Day 3
State 75: Davis federal indictment/plea/judgment material
State 146: FBI FD-302 documenting July 14, 1998 proffer
State 149: FBI FD-302 from April 15, 1999 follow-up
State 110: December 18, 2008 transcript
State 117: December 18, 2008 recording
State 147: December 18, 2008 vehicle/occupant chart
State 111: September 9, 2009 transcript
State 118: September 9, 2009 recording
DUANE DAVIS STATEMENT TIMELINE
June 20, 1997 — LAPD / Fred Miller
Setting: Christopher Wallace murder investigation.
Form: Recorded interview.
The jury began hearing this recording on Day 1 and finished it on Day 2. Davis discussed the Petersen Automotive Museum party, his location around the parking/valet area, vehicles, companions and movements after Wallace was shot. He denied involvement in Wallace's murder.
July 14, 1998 — FBI Proffer / Wade Lee
Form: No audio. FD-302 dated July 16, 1998.
Davis gave broad information about drugs, gangs, Death Row and associates. In the Shakur portion described by Lee, Davis placed himself and associates in Las Vegas but denied that his group killed Shakur and offered an alternative theory involving Compton police.
Important cross-examination point: Lee personally did not verify several Las Vegas-specific details, including the hotel-room, Land Cruiser and named-associate presence claims.
April 15, 1999 — FBI Follow-Up
Form: FD-302 generated April 20, 1999.
Follow-up cooperation focused on additional gang/drug information, identifications and investigative leads.
December 18, 2008 — Multi-Agency Task Force
Form: Recorded interview + transcript.
According to Dupree's live summary, Davis now gave a detailed Shakur-shooting account in which he placed himself in the Cadillac, described having/passing the gun and identified Orlando Anderson as the person who fired.
By the end of Day 3, the jury had heard a short authentication excerpt and Dupree's summary, but not the full recording.
September 9, 2009 — LVMPD Interview
Form: Recorded interview + transcript.
Introduced through Dupree on Day 3. Full playback had not occurred by adjournment.
Later Public Statements
Books, documentaries and interviews have been referenced by the parties and are expected to matter as the State develops the sequence of Davis's later public accounts. Individual statements should be tied to the specific source as they are played, read or otherwise used in front of the jury.
COURT RULINGS / LIMITING INSTRUCTIONS
Day 1 — Christopher Wallace Investigation
During Fred Miller's testimony, the court instructed jurors that neither the court nor LAPD believed Davis was involved in Wallace's death. The Wallace evidence was being used to explain the investigative path that led to the 1997 Davis interview.
Day 2 — MGM Security Report
The court permitted limited use of the MGM security report after a hearsay dispute. The relevant purpose was to show that the written report contained contemporaneous observations beyond what appeared on the surveillance video; the report was not simply treated as proof that every assertion in it was true.
Day 3 — Federal Drug / Gang / Conviction Evidence
The court told jurors that Davis's federal drug trafficking, gang affiliation and conviction were not being offered as propensity evidence. The evidence was limited to purposes connected to the statements and issues such as credibility, motive and identity.
WITNESS INDEX
Day 1
Witness 1 — Garry Dale — retired LVMPD officer; pre-shooting BMW stop and shooting response
1.Witness 2 — Ingrid Stokes — civilian eyewitness in convertible Sebring
2.Witness 3 — Brent Becker — original LVMPD homicide investigator
3.Witness 4 — Fred Miller — retired LAPD detective; Wallace investigation / 1997 Davis interview
4.Day 2
Witness 5 — Thomas Kern — crime-scene analyst / autopsy documentation
1.Witness 6 — Dr. Lisa Gavin — forensic pathologist
2.Witness 7 — Michael Ingram — MGM surveillance/investigations
3.Witness 8 — Kenneth Rios — retired LVMPD officer; contact with Anderson after MGM assault
4.Witness 9 — William Heidmeyer — Maxim security; heard gunfire / saw armed man afterward
5.Witness 10 — Dean O'Kelley — LVMPD shooting-scene evidence / early Cadillac information
6.Witness 11 — James "Mob James" McDonald — informal Club 662 security / Death Row associate
7.Witness 12 — Reggie Wright Jr. — Rightway security / Death Row management
8.Day 3
Witness 13 — Wade Lee — former FBI special agent; 1998/1999 Davis interviews
1.Witness 14 — Daryn Dupree — retired LAPD detective; 2008/2009 task-force interviews
2.
KEY PEOPLE
Duane Keith Davis / Keefe D / Keffe D — defendant; uncle of Orlando Anderson
Tupac Amaru Shakur — victim
Marion "Suge" Knight — driver of the BMW; Death Row Records co-founder
Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson — Davis's nephew; assaulted at MGM; identified by Davis in the later account summarized by Dupree as the shooter
Terrence "T-Brown" / "Bubble Up" Brown — alleged Cadillac driver in Davis's later account
DeAndre "Big Dre" Smith — alleged rear-seat Cadillac occupant in Davis's later account
Trayvon / Travon Lane — Death Row/Mob Piru associate connected to the earlier Lakewood Mall incident and MGM confrontation
Frank Alexander — Shakur security; witness behind the BMW
Malcolm Greenidge — witness behind the BMW
Katari "Kastro" Cox — member of Shakur's circle; witness in the entourage
Yafeu "Kadafi" Fula — member of Shakur's circle; eyewitness later killed in New Jersey
Reggie Wright Jr. — Rightway security / Death Row
James "Mob James" McDonald — Death Row/Compton associate; informal 662 security
Eric "Zip" Martin — New York associate appearing in Davis statements and later investigative theory
Greg Kading — later LAPD task-force investigator involved in 2008 Davis meeting
Dan Long — LVMPD investigator involved in the 2009 interview
Cliff Mogg — later LVMPD investigator associated with the renewed case
Rodney "Speedy" Blackman — Davis associate connected to the FBI drug investigation
Todd Holiday — FBI agent who worked with Wade Lee
Michael Terrell — Assistant U.S. Attorney present for the 1998 proffer
Edy Fall — Davis's attorney at the 1998 proffer
Wayne Higgins — attorney/participant connected to later Davis cooperation meetings
PLACES TO KNOW
Las Vegas
MGM Grand — Tyson fight and assault on Orlando Anderson
Elevator Core / North Key / Coyote Cafe — locations used repeatedly in MGM surveillance/report testimony
Luxor — hotel used by people in the Shakur/Knight group; source of vehicle/valet information
Excalibur — hotel connected in testimony to Anderson and other Compton associates
Flamingo Road & Koval Lane — shooting area
Maxim Hotel — Heidmeyer's vantage point when he heard the shooting
Club 662 — destination after the fight; central to McDonald/Wright security testimony
University Medical Center — where Shakur and Knight were taken
Stardust / Monte Carlo — appear in hotel/telephone-record testimony
Southern California
Lakewood Mall / Lakewood Center — earlier incident tied to the State's motive theory
Compton — home base of several groups/people central to the case
Petersen Automotive Museum — Wallace after-party; source of 1997 LAPD interview context
Greenblatt's Deli — location tied to the later alleged Combs solicitation described by Dupree
MASTER TIMELINE
Before September 7, 1996: Lakewood Mall incident involving South Side/Death Row associates becomes part of later motive accounts.
September 7, 1996: Tyson–Seldon fight at MGM; Orlando Anderson assaulted; Shakur and Knight leave MGM; later shooting near Flamingo/Koval.
September 13, 1996: Shakur dies.
1996–1997: Original LVMPD homicide investigation develops Compton leads, hotel/phone records and photo arrays.
March 1997: Christopher Wallace killed in Los Angeles; later creates investigative overlap.
June 20, 1997: LAPD records Davis interview during Wallace investigation.
July 14, 1998: FBI proffer with Davis; FD-302 dated July 16.
April 15, 1999: FBI follow-up; FD-302 generated April 20.
2006 onward: Multi-agency Wallace task-force work develops new contact with Davis.
December 18, 2008: Recorded task-force Davis interview.
September 9, 2009: Recorded LVMPD Davis interview.
2011 onward: Task-force account begins appearing publicly through books/media.
2017–2022: Davis makes additional public statements in documentaries/interviews and publishes Compton Street Legend.
July 17, 2023: Search warrant executed at Davis's Henderson-area residence.
September 2023: Grand jury / indictment and Davis arrest.
August 10, 2026: Jury selection begins.
August 17, 2026: Jury sworn; opening statements and evidentiary Day 1.
August 18, 2026: Day 2.
August 19, 2026: Day 3.
SOURCE NOTE
The daily recaps are built primarily from my notes, checked against raw (unofficial) trial transcripts. 