A Nevada judge has ruled that a 2008 police interview can be used as evidence against Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who is accused of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Judge Carli Kierny rejected defence arguments that the recording had been given on a promise of confidentiality, finding that Davis waived any such protection when he later discussed the killing publicly in his memoir. The decision strengthens the prosecution's case ahead of a trial that is expected to shed further light on one of hip-hop's most notorious unsolved crimes.

Davis, 63, faces a murder charge over Shakur's fatal shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996, a case that went unsolved for decades. In his memoir, "Compton Street Legend", Davis wrote that he had spoken to detectives because "they promised I would not be prosecuted", a claim his defence, led by attorney Michael Sanft, used to try to keep the interview out of court. The judge disagreed, and the trial is due to begin on 10 August, expected to run for roughly four weeks; Davis faces life imprisonment without parole if convicted.