Why Biggie Smalls' unsolved killing keeps appearing in court
Biggie Smalls' still-unsolved killing keeps surfacing in Duane "Keffe D" Davis's Tupac Shakur murder trial because the same LAPD task force that probed Christopher Wallace's 1997 death uncovered statements Davis allegedly made about both slayings—even though nobody has ever been charged in Wallace's case. The two drive-by shootings, six months apart, remain linked in court nearly 30 years later.
Key Takeaways
- Christopher Wallace was fatally shot on March 9, 1997, outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles; no one has been charged.
- Davis's Tupac trial has repeatedly referenced Wallace's case, including testimony from detectives originally assigned to it.
- A 2002 federal lawsuit by Wallace's family helped restart the probe and led to breaks in the Shakur case—not Wallace's.
- In a 2008 interview, Davis allegedly denied Wallace's killing, then said, "We did the other one," referring to Shakur.
- CNN asked the LAPD last week whether an active Wallace investigation exists and received no response.
Why does Biggie Smalls' name keep coming up at the Tupac trial?
Duane "Keffe D" Davis faces trial in Las Vegas on allegations he orchestrated the September 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. Closing arguments were set for Monday after less than two weeks of testimony, yet prosecutors mentioned Biggie Smalls within the first hour of opening statements.
Two witnesses testified who were originally assigned to investigate Wallace's death, not Shakur's. Davis wrote in his 2019 memoir that he was nearby when both men were killed. The day Wallace died, LAPD Lt. Anthony Alba said authorities would contact Las Vegas officials about any connection between the murders.
How did the Wallace family lawsuit reshape both investigations?
The Wallace investigation had languished for nearly a decade when then-Chief William Bratton formed a task force in 2006. That followed a 2002 federal lawsuit by Wallace's family claiming police officers—including one connected to Death Row Records—were responsible and that the LAPD failed to investigate leads to protect its own.
The LAPD denied those allegations. A judge later declared a mistrial after discovering a transcript alleging LAPD officer involvement had been hidden in the lead detective's desk. The family dismissed the suit, but the city paid $1.1 million in legal fees—and the proceedings set in motion interviews that broke the Shakur case, not Wallace's. See our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries hub for related coverage.
What did Keffe D Davis allegedly tell detectives about the two murders?
Davis was flagged because eyewitnesses reported shots from a Chevrolet Impala, which he was known to drive. After detectives caught him with PCP and cocaine in 2008, former LAPD detective Daryn Dupree testified Davis acknowledged being at the museum party Wallace attended but denied involvement in the shooting.
When asked to clarify, Dupree said Davis responded, "We did the other one." Investigators had not asked about Tupac, Dupree testified. In a December 2008 proffer session, Davis laid out a timeline of the Shakur shooting now central to his murder case. Those interviews helped charge Davis in Shakur's death but did not advance the Wallace case, per CNN's reporting.
Is anyone still investigating Biggie Smalls' death?
Days before he died, Wallace told San Francisco radio station KYLD he wanted to "squash" the East Coast–West Coast feud, calling it "game over." Four days later, he was killed in another drive-by shooting. CNN asked the LAPD last week whether an active investigation exists and received no response. Nearly 30 years on, his killing remains officially unsolved—while the Shakur courtroom keeps pulling it back into view.