The family of Tupac Shakur is expected in court on Monday as opening statements begin in the trial of a man accused of orchestrating the rapper’s 1996 killing in Las Vegas.
Shakur’s stepbrother, Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, said attending the trial will be difficult for the family but that they want to be present.
“We’re gonna stand by Pac as we always have,” Maurice Shakur told The Associated Press.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty and could face life in prison if convicted.
The trial is expected to revisit the events surrounding Shakur’s death nearly 30 years ago.
What are family, colleagues saying?
Family members, friends and fans traveled to Las Vegas for jury selection. Among them was music producer Darryl Harper, who worked with Shakur at Death Row Records and collaborated with him on songs released after the 1996 shooting.
“He became a personal friend of mine as I worked with him almost every day of his last days here,” said Harper, who traveled from Georgia.
Harper said he hopes the proceedings establish who was responsible for the killing.
“My prayer is that it’s the right person,” he said outside court during jury selection. “If he’s the right person, then I’m glad that Tupac would get some kind of redemption finally. I think he deserves it.”
Shakur’s cousins Kendrick Lesane and William Lesane also attended jury selection after traveling from Atlanta. William Lesane said he wants accountability.
“For me, justice has long left the station 30 years ago,” he said.
What prosecutors must prove
Prosecutors allege that Davis helped organise the shooting as retaliation after Shakur and his associates allegedly beat up Davis’ nephew at the MGM Grand hours before the rapper was killed.
They do not allege that Davis fired the shots. According to prosecutors, the gunfire came from a white Cadillac in which Davis was traveling with three other people, all of whom have since died.
Shakur was 25 when he died and has remained a major cultural figure. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
His posthumous honours have also included a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a street named after him in Oakland and a character inspired by him in the upcoming video game “Stranger than Heaven.”
