A Nevada judge has ruled that a 2019 memoir co-written by Duane “Keffe D” Davis can be admitted as evidence in his upcoming trial over the 1996 shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, faces charges related to the drive-by attack that left Shakur fatally wounded near the Las Vegas Strip.

Shakur, a prominent figure in American hip-hop, was shot multiple times while riding in a BMW with Marion “Suge” Knight, the founder of Death Row Records. The incident occurred on September 7, 1996, when a Cadillac pulled alongside their vehicle. Shakur died six days later from his injuries, while Knight sustained only minor wounds. The case had remained unsolved and largely dormant for decades.

Davis, a former member of the South Side Compton Crips gang, revived interest in the case after publicly discussing his involvement. In his memoir, *Compton Street Legend*, Davis claims he was present in the Cadillac during the shooting and that he provided the weapon used in the attack. These assertions were also made during various interviews published on YouTube.

The book’s release brought renewed attention from law enforcement, eventually leading to Davis’s arrest in September 2023. His defense team sought to prevent the memoir from being used as evidence, arguing that it contained fictionalized elements. However, the judge rejected this request, allowing the memoir to play a role in the forthcoming trial scheduled to begin next month.

The prosecution views the memoir as a critical piece of evidence in their effort to resolve one of the most infamous unsolved murders in American music history. Meanwhile, Davis’s lawyer, Michael Sanft, maintains that the claims in the book are fabricated, highlighting the defense’s position that the memoir should not be considered factual.

The trial marks a significant development in the decades-long investigation into Shakur’s death, with the potential to finally bring clarity to the circumstances surrounding the shooting.