Day 2Aug 18, 2026Prosecution case
The autopsy photos, and a witness who did not want to be there
Tupac Shakur Murder Trial · The full record
Clark County medical examiner Dr. Lisa Gavin walked jurors through three gunshot wounds — one collapsed a lung that surgeons removed — and told them "the manner of death was homicide." Some of Shakur's relatives walked out when the autopsy photos went up; his cousin Zayd Akinyela stayed, saying afterwards, "I think we've been waiting 30 years to grieve properly." Jurors also saw the MGM Grand surveillance video of the lobby beating prosecutors call the motive. Two men from the Death Row Records world testified under subpoena, and one of them handed the defense a line it will use again. — Fox 5 Vegas · PBS News Hour · Associated Press (via Bay News 9) · News 3 Las Vegas
Who testified
- Thomas Kern — LVMPD crime scene analyst. Attended the 1996 autopsy and authenticated the photographs shown to jurors, originally shot on Polaroid film.
- Dr. Lisa Gavin — Clark County medical examiner. Testified Shakur died of gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen and that "the manner of death was homicide."
- Michael Ingram — MGM Grand investigator. Authenticated the 1996 casino surveillance tapes and explained the hotel reused its tapes back then, which limits what survives.
- Kenneth Rios — Former LVMPD sergeant. Responded to the lobby fight; Orlando Anderson refused medical care and declined to press charges, so no report was written.
- William Heidmeyer — Former security officer, Maxim Hotel. Testified about the night's events around the hotel.
- Dean O'Kelly — Former LVMPD gang detective. Handled crime scene evidence and told jurors the weapon was "a Glock 40."
- James McDonald — Head of security at Club 662. Testified only under court order; said "662" spells MOB on a phone keypad, and framed the feud as personal — "Wasn't our beef. Was between Suge Knight and Keffe D" — adding he did not want to "send another Black man to prison."
- Reggie Wright Jr. — Former head of Death Row Records security. Said Death Row was 95% of his security business and answered "Absolutely not" when asked whether he had anything to do with the killing.