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The official witness list for Duane Keith "Keffe D" Davis' looming trial over the 1996 shooting death of hip-hop superstar Tupac Shakur has been released.The trial is set to begin Monday, Aug. 10, and last through September, during which Clark County, Nevada, prosecutors plan to call several people to the stand, according to an Aug. 4 supplemental witness list obtained by USA TODAY.The filing reportedly includes more than 200 names, including Sean "Diddy" Combs' former bodyguard and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight, who previously said he "wouldn't testify."Shakur was fatally shot Sept. 7, 1996, in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Nearly three decades later, Davis is facing one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang, with prosecutors alleging he provided the weapon and is the person who instructed the South Side Crips street gang to shoot from the car. He has pleaded not guilty.Here are some of the most notable potential witnesses in Tupac's murder trial.Marion 'Suge' KnightFormer record exec Knight was in the car with Shakur the night of Sept. 7, 1996, when both were shot. The rapper died days later, and Knight survived.At the time, Shakur was signed to music label Death Row Records, where Knight was serving as CEO and co-founder. The music executive and the label were also allegedly affiliated with the Bloods street gang in Los Angeles, a rival of the South Side Crips.Earlier in the night of the shooting, Shakur, Knight and members of the Bloods attacked the nephew of then-leader of the Crips, defendant Duane Keith "Keffe D" Davis. Hours later, Shakur and Knight were shot in what many speculate was retaliation.In the years since, Knight, who is currently serving an unrelated 28-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter in a fatal 2015 hit-and-run, has not spoken about the incident. In 2023, he told TMZ, "I wouldn't testify, none of that." He added, "1000% I wouldn't go."Kirk BurrowesIn September 1996, Kirk Burrowes was the president of Bad Boy Records, which he co-founded with Diddy in 1993. The New York-based label was allegedly connected with the Crips gang and had a longstanding rivalry with Knight's Bloods-affiliated Death Row Records, which signed Shakur to a multi-million dollar contract in 1995.Conspiracies about the two labels' conflict grew even stronger when, about six months after Shakur died, Bad Boy rapper Biggie Smalls (also known as The Notorious B.I.G.), was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Smalls, like Shakur, was at the height of his fame when he was murdered.In a 2003 lawsuit, Burrowes alleged Combs "orchestrated" Shakur's fatal shooting. In a civil suit filed last year, Burrowes said he "witnessed instances in which Combs expressed paranoia and frustration over Shakur's success, indicating a deep-seated need to diminish his rival's influence."The suit further said "Combs allegedly made statements to insiders suggesting that Shakur's presence in the industry threatened his legacy, leading him to take increasingly aggressive measures to overshadow and eliminate competition."Davis also said in an interview with police that Combs placed a $1 million hit on Shakur and Knight, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration report filed in court in 2025 and obtained by USA TODAY.Combs has denied allegations of any involvement in Shakur's death, and a spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department previously told USA TODAY Combs has never been a suspect. Man charged in Tupac case claims Diddy ordered $1M hitNearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas, new allegations tie Sean “Diddy” Combs to the rapper’s murder, as Combs fights unrelated criminal charges.unbranded - EntertainmentSean 'Diddy' Combs' bodyguardEugene "Gene" Deal was Combs' bodyguard at the time of Shakur's murder. He has spoken about the night of the shooting and the dynamics between Shakur and others in his circle in several interviews over the years.Combs is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence for his July 2025 conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. While Deal did not testify in the trial, he attended several days of the proceedings.Reggie Wright Jr.Reggie Wright Jr. is a former police officer in Compton, California, and was the head of security at Death Row Records in 1996. He previously testified before the grand jury that indicted Davis, alleging he witnessed a heated exchange between Combs and Knight, who was allegedly touting Death Row Records' superiority to Bad Boy Records, in 1995."I was there, standing right there," Wright testified. "And [Combs] approached [Knight] like: 'Hey, what's going on? Why you dissing me in front of everybody like that?'"Davis has accused Wright of orchestrating the shooting of Shakur and Knight, which Wright vehemently denied."Good luck finding someone saying that, that's credible," he told ABC in February 2025. "It's heartbreaking they keep dragging in my name. I didn't have anything to do with that. One of the worst days of my life when I heard that that happened."Tupac Shakur's sister Sekyiwa ShakurShakur's sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, is expected to testify, along with other members of the family, including his stepbrother Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur, and cousin Katari Cox.Tupac murder suspect to stand trialDuane "Keefe D" Davis, the man charged with killing rapper Tupac Shakur in the '90s, lost his bid to have the case dismissed. His trial is scheduled for 2026.Fox - LANevada Gov. Joe LombardoJoe Lombardo, a former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer and sheriff, is now the Republican governor of Nevada. He took office shortly before Davis' arrest.Attorney Ross GoodmanRoss Goodman is a prominent criminal defense attorney in Las Vegas who briefly appeared in court for Davis in the early stages of his case before official counsel was selected. Oscar Goodman, Ross Goodman's father and the mayor of Las Vegas from 1999 to 2011, is also on the witness list.What 500 pages of grand jury transcripts reveal about Tupac’s murderGang rivalry, a stolen medallion and an alleged million-dollar hit emerge in the grand jury transcripts of the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur.Yusuf JahYusuf Jah was the co-author of Davis' 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D's Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs, and Crooked Cops," in which Davis admitted to being in the car and providing the weapon used to shoot Shakur.His team attempted to have the book excluded from the trial, arguing Davis' account of the shooting could have been misrepresented because he had a co-author. Prosecutors pushed back, saying "everything" was admissible because Davis "chose to release it to the public and profit off it," and he also reviewed and approved the manuscript before publishing.The judge ruled in the prosecution's favor, and the memoir will be presented during trial.Former LAPD Detective Greg KadingGreg Kading is a retired detective with the Los Angeles Police Department who spoke with Davis in 2009 while investigating the death of Notorious B.I.G., whose case remains unsolved. During the interview, Davis allegedly confessed to his role in Shakur's murder.Davis's legal team, however, argued that it was an "involuntary confession" he made when "in a position that he was afraid for himself and his family." Davis also wrote in his book that he only "sang because they promised I would not be prosecuted."Other noteworthy Tupac murder trial witnessesPaula Clemons, Davis' wife, is on the witness list, along with experts, law enforcement officers and Leonard Jefferson, who took the last-ever photo of Shakur minutes before he was shot. Directors and producers of documentaries on Shakur's murder are also set to be called to testify.Contributing: Gina Barton, USA TODAY
