Why is Diddy’s name hanging over Tupac murder trial? Gene Deal makes explosive claim

The decades-old mystery surrounding the murder of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur has taken another dramatic turn after former Bad Boy Records bodyguard Gene Deal claimed he is being pressured to testify in the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis.

Deal alleged that authorities are interested in his testimony because they want him to establish a connection between Keffe D — the man accused of orchestrating Tupac’s 1996 killing — and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Speaking during an interview with The Art of Dialogue, Deal claimed investigators want him to explain what he allegedly knows about Keffe D and Diddy’s relationship.

“They want me to show that Keffe D and Diddy had a relationship,” Deal said, claiming authorities were interested in alleged meetings between the two men where they reportedly socialised and spent time together.

The former bodyguard, however, admitted that much of the information he has about the night Tupac was killed came from what others allegedly told him, rather than from what he personally witnessed.

“From what I know, for what I was told, I can’t say what I know,” Deal said.

Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, and died six days later at the age of 25. The killing remained unsolved for nearly three decades before authorities arrested Duane “Keffe D” Davis in 2023 and charged him with murder. Davis has pleaded not guilty.

The mention of Diddy in the case comes from long-standing allegations made by Keffe D, who previously claimed that the music executive was linked to a plot against Tupac and Death Row Records boss Suge Knight. Diddy has repeatedly denied any involvement, and he has not been charged in connection with Tupac’s murder.

Deal also argued that prosecutors must prove Keffe D was present in Las Vegas on the night of the shooting, saying investigators would need evidence such as witnesses, photographs or records to support their case.

The trial has reopened old wounds from the infamous East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry of the 1990s, but claims linking Diddy to Tupac’s killing remain allegations and have not been proven in court.

As Keffe D’s trial continues, questions remain over whether new testimony could reveal more about one of hip-hop’s most enduring mysteries.