Nearly three decades after Tupac Shakur’s 1996 Las Vegas murder, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the man accused of the crime, is set to stand trial, starting August 10.The legendary rapper and actor died in September 1996 after attending a Mike Tyson fight with Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Shakur and Knight's vehicle was approached by a white Cadillac (with Davis seated inside), which opened fire that eventually took the former's life.Shakur's cold case, considered one of the most notorious unsolved murders in the United States, was revisited following the 2018 Netflix docu-series and the release of Davis' memoir. According to recent updates, a Nevada Judge has ruled that Davis' confidential 2008 interview with the police and his memoir (where he stated he was in the Cadillac and provided the shotgun used to shoot Shakur) are admissible in court.More on this in our story.Inside the fateful night of Tupac Shakur's murderThe seeds of the 1996 tragedy were sown with an escalating feud between Davis’ group, the Compton Southside Crips and the Mob Piru Bloods, the latter of which was closely connected to Death Row Records. Shakur was also closely affiliated with the Mob Piru members during his time with Knight's label.On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur and Knight allegedly assaulted Davis' nephew and a reputed Southside Compton Crips member, Orlando Anderson, after attending the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The assault is said to have triggered a chain of events, which resulted in the fatal shooting that claimed Shakur's life.Roughly at 11:15 p.m, a white Cadillac (with David, Deandrae "Freaky" Smith and Anderson) approached Shakur's car, while he was with Knight at the stoplight near Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, and opened fire. Tupac was struck four times in the chest, arm and thigh and was rushed to the hospital. While Shakur spent six days on life support, he eventually passed away on September 13, 1996, at age 25, from internal bleeding and respiratory failure.Tupac Shakur's cold case revisitedFollowing the release of Netflix's 2018 docu-series titled Unsolved: The Tupac and Biggie Murders, the cold case gained momentum. Additionally, Davis' April 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend shed light on new details, revealing Shakur's final hours when his group approached his vehicle. Davis' account revealed that he was seated in the front-row passenger seat.In September 2023, Davis was charged and arrested on one count of open murder with use of a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement after the Las Vegas police found a computer and articles about Shakur's death from his Nevada home.Davis' book and 2008 interview are key evidence in the upcoming Tupac Shakur murder trialWith Tupac Shakur's murder trial approaching, prosecutors sought to use Davis' memoir and his recorded 2008 police interview as evidence. While Davis' defense attorney Michael Sanft argued that the 2008 interview was confidential and given under a promise of immunity, Nevada Judge Carli Kierny ruled (on July 29, 2026) that both pieces of evidence are admissible in court.The interviews and the memoir not only shed light on the events of that night but strongly suggest Davis' role in Shakur's murder, as Davis admitted to providing the weapon that took the rapper's life. Elsewhere, the defense has argued that Davis' memoir was a fictionalized account of the events, written to make a profit and it is hard to determine which parts were actually written by him.Despite this setback, Davis' defense is hopeful about the case, echoed in Sanft's statement to FOX News:“I think, ultimately, at the end of the day, I believe in the cause. This is not a case that I think is a good case. But once again, we have to leave that up to a jury.''The Tupac Shakur murder trial will begin on August 10 and is expected to run for four weeks. If found guilty in Shakur's 1996 killing, the 63-year-old Davis faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.