LAS VEGAS (AP) — Final arguments are set for Monday in one of the most closely watched hip-hop trials, involving the man prosecutors say helped arrange the killing of Tupac Shakur.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, is charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon, with prosecutors alleging the crime was intended to benefit or support a criminal gang. The charge stems from Shakur’s killing in Las Vegas nearly three decades ago.

A jury pool of 16 people, including four alternates, heard testimony from 24 prosecution witnesses and three defense witnesses across nine days. The proceedings moved faster than initially anticipated, as prosecutors had once expected to present between 35 and 45 witnesses.

Prosecutors were expected to focus on Davis’ own statements, arguing that he directed the attack on Shakur. Davis’ lawyer, meanwhile, was expected to repeat the defense position that the state’s account is unsupported and that investigators failed to find evidence confirming Davis’ public claims.

The trial marks a turning point in a case that has fascinated hip-hop followers and crime observers for decades. Shakur, widely regarded as one of rap music’s most significant artists, was in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. He was stopped at a red light when a white Cadillac pulled alongside his vehicle and gunfire erupted. Shakur died from his injuries six days later. Marion “Suge” Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, was wounded in the shooting but survived.

No one was charged in the rapper’s death for years. That changed after Davis made public comments stating that he had been inside the Cadillac and passed a gun to others sitting in the rear of the car. Davis, who described himself as a leader within the South Side Compton Crips at the time, said the shooting was retaliation after Shakur, Knight and others assaulted his nephew at the MGM Grand earlier that evening.

Prosecutors do not contend that Davis personally fired the weapon. Instead, they argue that he helped plan and enable the murder. Nevada law allows a person who assists in a killing to be convicted of murder. Davis is believed to be the only surviving person who was inside the Cadillac.

Davis’ statements take center stage

The state’s case has centered heavily on comments Davis made to police, filmmakers and interviewers, in which he acknowledged involvement in the shooting. He also helped write a memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” which he called the “real truth” during an interview shown to jurors.

Across several interviews, Davis said he passed the gun toward the back seat, though his account changed in certain details. In some versions, he said Deandre “Freaky” Smith received the weapon but did not want to use it, leading Anderson to take it and shoot. In other interviews and in his book, Davis declined to identify the shooter or said he did not know who fired the shots.

Prosecutors also called a gang expert who characterized Davis as a decision-maker whose instructions younger gang members were expected to follow. Other testimony addressed the bitter rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru groups, which had ties to the competing music labels Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records.

Defense points to missing physical proof

Davis’ attorney, Michael Sanft, has argued that his client’s remarks were exaggerations intended to build his reputation and generate money rather than truthful admissions.

Sanft, who has represented Davis without charging legal fees, has emphasized that there is little physical evidence connecting his client to the crime, including the absence of phone records, receipts or similar documentation.

At trial, investigators said a Las Vegas hotel receipt was recovered from Davis’ home during a police search. But testimony did not establish the date connected to the document or its current whereabouts.

The nearly 30-year age of the case has shaped the evidence available in court. Prosecutors cautioned jurors that investigative practices and the materials gathered during the 1990s differed greatly from modern law enforcement methods.

Even so, prosecutors showed jurors surveillance video from the MGM Grand. The recording showed Shakur, dressed in a gold shirt, moving quickly through the casino while people in his group tried to keep pace. The footage also captured the confrontation between Shakur’s entourage and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.