Nearly three decades after the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur on a Las Vegas street, the case continues to twist and turn—pulling in some of the most prominent names in entertainment and law. In a development that has captured the attention of both Hollywood and the hip-hop world, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, currently incarcerated on charges related to the Mann Act, has emerged as a potential key witness in the upcoming murder trial of Duane 'Keefe D' Davis, the man charged with orchestrating the rapper’s 1996 killing.
But that’s not the only high-profile legal drama making headlines this week. Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, whose name became synonymous with the #MeToo movement after his 2020 conviction, has also retooled his legal defense as he prepares for a third rape retrial in New York. Both cases are reminders of how the American justice system—and public fascination—continue to swirl around celebrity, power, and unresolved questions.
Let’s start with the Tupac saga. According to the New York Post and multiple other outlets, Davis’ defense team believes that Combs could play a pivotal role in their case. Davis, indicted in 2023 on a first-degree murder charge, faces life in prison for allegedly masterminding the attack that left Tupac dead at just 25 years old. While Davis has pleaded not guilty, his legal team’s latest strategy centers on discrediting his own confessions—statements that, over the years, have been as detailed as they are controversial.
Davis has claimed that Combs once offered $1 million to have Tupac killed, a bombshell allegation that Combs has repeatedly and forcefully denied. In a recorded interview with Las Vegas police, Davis described the murder as retaliation for the assault of his nephew, Orlando Anderson, by Tupac and others. However, Davis’ attorney, Michael Pandullo, has said from his Las Vegas office that those confessions were “fabricated stories crafted to gain attention and financial benefit.”
Why does Combs’ potential testimony matter so much? According to legal experts cited by Reuters and the New York Post, celebrity witnesses can sway juries in high-profile cases, especially when the stakes are this high. If Combs were to take the stand and refute Davis’ account, the defense believes it could cast serious doubt on the reliability of all Davis’ confessions. A family friend of Davis told Reuters that his attorney is confident “Diddy would testify that Davis’ confessions are false.”
Prosecutors, meanwhile, aren’t making the allegation that Combs ordered the killing a central part of their case. Their focus remains on the pattern of confessions Davis gave over the years, including a 180-page recorded interview submitted as part of a legal filing last year. That filing, made public, includes transcripts in which Davis told a detective that Combs said he would “give anything for Tupac and Suge Knight,” and that large sums of money were discussed as payment for the murder. Davis also claimed that 45 people witnessed Combs making those statements after the release of a Tupac recording that insulted him. But Combs has stood firm in his denials, calling the allegations “completely ridiculous and pure fiction” through a representative.
The intrigue doesn’t stop there. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has confirmed that Combs is not a suspect in its investigation. Still, the case has spawned a civil lawsuit in California, filed in October 2024 by Ashley Parham, who alleges she was assaulted after publicly suggesting Combs had a role in Tupac’s death. Combs denies those allegations as well.
Tupac’s killing remains officially unsolved. He was shot on September 7, 1996, following a boxing match, and died six days later. The case has fueled decades of speculation, documentaries, and competing theories. Davis, the uncle of Orlando Anderson—a South Side Crips member long considered a person of interest but never charged—remains in custody as the trial, scheduled for August 2026, looms. There’s a chance the proceedings could be delayed into 2027, and whether Combs ultimately testifies will depend on decisions yet to be made by both legal teams.
Meanwhile, in New York, Harvey Weinstein’s legal saga is taking yet another turn. On February 26, 2026, Weinstein assembled a new legal team including attorneys Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo, and Teny Geragos, all of whom bring experience from some of the country’s most high-profile criminal cases. According to Los Angeles magazine, this shakeup comes as prosecutors prepare for Weinstein’s third retrial on allegations that he raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann at a Manhattan hotel in 2013.
The new attorneys replace longtime lawyer Arthur Aidala, who will now focus on appeals and civil matters rather than trial proceedings. Aidala told Los Angeles, “Harvey and I have had a very solid, productive and successful working relationship over the past seven years. Harvey accurately sensed my lack of passion to try this low level case a third time so we agreed to bring in Jacob Kaplan and his team who Harvey has known for years. We remain very enthusiastic to appeal his current conviction.”
Weinstein’s spokesperson, Juda Englemayer, added, “With Mr. Aidala’s firm handling the appeal of the indicted count, Harvey intends to concentrate his efforts on preparing for a potential retrial of the undecided charge. Harvey believes that, after two prior trials on this matter, a recalibrated outlook and strategic approach offers the most effective path forward.”
Weinstein, 73, has remained incarcerated at Rikers Island since his original 2020 conviction—a conviction that was overturned last year by New York’s highest court, which found that certain witness testimony may have unfairly influenced the jury. The retrial on some of the charges ended in a split outcome in 2025: Weinstein was convicted on the count involving Miriam Haley, acquitted on the count involving Kaia Sokola, and jurors failed to reach a verdict on the accusation involving Jessica Mann. Prosecutors are now moving forward with plans for a third trial on the unresolved charge.
The remaining third-degree rape charge involving Mann carries a maximum sentence of four years, less than the time Weinstein has already spent in custody. Weinstein has continued to deny wrongdoing. During a January hearing, he told the court in a lengthy statement, “I never assaulted anyone,” and described his ongoing isolation and declining health: “The isolation is unbearable. I have been hospitalized multiple times at Bellevue, proof that my body is failing, but what is harder to convey is how my spirit is breaking. I feel hopeless, powerless, and forgotten.”
No trial date has been finalized for Weinstein’s third retrial, but he is scheduled to appear in court on March 4, 2026, as trial preparations continue.
Both the Weinstein and Tupac cases highlight how the legal system continues to grapple with high-profile figures, unresolved allegations, and the enduring public appetite for answers—no matter how many years have passed or how many twists remain.