2Pac Murder Trial Delayed as New Evidence Emerges Supporting Keefe D’s Defense
The long-awaited trial for 2Pac’s murder has been pushed back to 2026 after new evidence surfaced that could support Keefe D’s claim of innocence. Originally set to begin next month, the trial will now start on February 9, 2026, after a judge granted a delay request during a hearing on February 18 in Las Vegas.
Keefe D (real name Duane Davis) is the only person ever charged in the legendary rapper’s killing. His legal team argued they needed more time to investigate new witness testimony that could prove he wasn’t at the scene when 2Pac was gunned down on the Las Vegas Strip in September 1996.
“It looks like there are quite a few things that need to be done to ensure Mr. Davis gets effective legal representation,” Judge Carli Kierny stated during the hearing. Keefe D agreed to the delay.
His attorneys claim new witnesses have emerged who can prove he wasn’t there when the shooting happened. They also attempted to have his murder charge dismissed, arguing that he had been granted immunity back in 2008 when he admitted to involvement in 2Pac’s death as part of a proffer agreement. However, prosecutors denied the existence of any such deal, and the judge sided with them.
Keefe D, now 61, isn’t accused of pulling the trigger—that blame falls on his late nephew, Orlando Anderson, a fellow Compton Crip who was allegedly seeking retaliation after being attacked by 2Pac earlier that night. Anderson was killed in an unrelated gang shooting in 1998.
Keefe D has been in custody since his September 2023 arrest, marking the first-ever indictment in 2Pac’s decades-old murder case. His defense now claims many of his past statements on the case were merely for "entertainment purposes."
With the trial now delayed for another year, it remains to be seen whether this new evidence will shift the direction of the case—or if Keefe D will ultimately face justice for one of hip-hop’s most infamous murders.