Duane Davis’s book boasted of his role in the killing of Tupac Shakur. The memoir, which he now disavows, has become prime evidence in his murder trial, which starts this week. Davis originally claimed the account was factual, detailing his involvement in the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed the iconic rapper.

Now, however, he says the entire memoir was fiction, a dramatic reversal that prosecutors are expected to challenge in court. The trial, set to begin Monday, will hinge on the credibility of Davis’s past statements and the contradictions with his current position. Duane Davis faces life in prison if convicted. The case has drawn widespread attention, reviving decades-old questions about the unsolved murder. Tupac Shakur’s family has expressed cautious hope for justice.

Davis’s attorney argues that the memoir was never meant to be taken as literal truth, but as a narrative of street life. The prosecution insists that Davis’s own words are the strongest evidence of his guilt. The jury will hear excerpts from the book, along with testimony from witnesses who claim Davis confessed to them.

As the trial unfolds, the core dispute remains: Did Duane Davis tell the truth in his memoir, or is his latest claim of fiction a last-ditch attempt to evade accountability? The answer will determine whether one of hip-hop’s most infamous crimes finally reaches a legal resolution.