Keefe D’s week-two trial is dominated by a contentious documentary production dispute, with producers questioning the authenticity of his Tupac interviews, alleging they were meticulously researched and unscripted. Defense attorney Michael Sanft contends that Keefe D repeatedly sold fiction as fact for attention and profit, fueling the producers’ challenge. The trial, entering its second week in Las Vegas, centers on the core of the dispute: the authenticity of Keefe D’s portrayal of Tupac’s stories, particularly concerning the interviews that formed the basis of his defense.
Documentary filmmaker Michael Dorsey returned Monday as the Tupac Shakur murder trial of Duane Davis entered its second week in Las Vegas. Defense attorney Michael Sanft has built his case around a blunt argument that Keefe D repeatedly sold fiction as fact for attention and money. “The state has just told you what they believe is the evidence in this case. What they are telling you, they are representing as fact, when it’s really fiction,” Sanft told jurors during opening statements. The argument makes Dorsey and Death Row Chronicles director Mario Diaz important because both worked on Keefe D’s 2017 interviews, which followed years of research into Tupac and his killing. Dorsey testified that the interviews were a result of extensive research, and that Keefe D listened to Tupac live from another room and sent Diaz follow-ups during both sessions.
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That argument makes Dorsey and Death Row Chronicles director Mario Diaz important because both worked on Keefe D’s 2017 interviews, which followed years of research into Tupac and his killing. “Well, there’s the kind of philosophical aspect of it, which is my goal is to get at the truth, but also my goal is to tell the public a good story, something that I think is of the public interest that they should know,” Dorsey testified. The prosecution is using documentary insiders to challenge Keefe D’s claim that his Tupac stories were entertainment. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal says Keefe D organized retaliation after Tupac’s entourage attacked his nephew Orlando Anderson at the MGM Grand. “Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew. Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself,” Palal told jurors.
The filmmakers’ testimony gives prosecutors a direct answer to Sanft’s claim that Keefe D’s televised accounts were manufactured for show business. Dorsey said he helped develop questions, listened to Keefe D live from another room, and sent Diaz follow-ups during both interview sessions. He also made a phone recording of the interview feed, which prosecutors later obtained after subpoenaing him for the preserved audio.
The filmmakers’ testimony gives prosecutors a direct answer to Sanft’s claim that Keefe D’s televised accounts were manufactured for show business. Suge Knight remains listed as a prosecution witness while completing a 28-year California term stemming from an unrelated voluntary manslaughter case. The jury has also heard the protected 2008 task-force interview in which Keefe D described securing the gun and moving it toward the Cadillac’s rear seat. That session fell under an agreement that prevented investigators from using his statements against him, provided he complied with the deal’s conditions. That private account matters because prosecutors argue his later public interviews repeated key details, while the defense says those stories were profitable fiction.
Source: AllHipHop
