Nearly three decades after Tupac Shakur was gunned down on the Las Vegas Strip, the murder trial of the man accused of orchestrating the killing is now in its second week — and this week, it was a childhood friend's turn to take the stand.

Malcolm Greenidge, known by his stage name E.D.I Mean and a member of Tupac's group the Outlawz, testified Tuesday as roughly the 19th or 20th witness called since the trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis began Aug. 10 in Clark County. Greenidge described himself in court as a "childhood friend, family member, big brother, and mentor" to Tupac, according to Fox5 Las Vegas.

Davis, a former gang leader, is accused of orchestrating the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur on Sept. 7, 1996, following a fight at the MGM Grand earlier that night. Prosecutors have played jurors a recording in which Davis himself claimed his nephew, Orlando Anderson — who died in 1998 and was never charged — fired the fatal shots, according to NPR.

A Case Decades in the Making

The trial has drawn national attention as one of hip-hop's most enduring cold cases finally reaches a jury. In the trial's first week, jurors heard from nearly 20 witnesses, including a forensic pathologist who testified about Shakur's wounds and the photographer who took what's believed to be Shakur's final photograph, according to CNN's ongoing trial coverage.

Davis has pleaded not guilty. His defense has argued that his recorded claims — made in a memoir and various interviews over the years — were exaggerations made to sell books and boost his public profile rather than genuine confessions of criminal involvement.

The trial is expected to continue for at least another week or two, with prosecutors still working through their witness list. A verdict would close the book on one of the most-picked-over unsolved mysteries in American music history — though for Shakur's family and fans, the case has already forced a fresh, painful re-examination of the final night of his life.