The murder of Tupac Shakur had gone unsolved for decades until Duane “Keefe D” Davis began speaking openly about it.
Through interviews and in his memoir Compton Street Legend, he detailed his knowledge of the events surrounding the 1996 shooting in Las Vegas.
Prosecutors allege Davis played a key role in the attack, provided the firearm, and was in the vehicle that pulled up alongside Tupac and Suge Knight on the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996. Tupac, 25, was shot four times and died six days later. Suge Knight was injured but survived.
Now at 62, Davis is appealing to Nevada’s Supreme Court to have the murder case dismissed. His defense claims he had an agreement with law enforcement that should have protected him from prosecution based on his statements about the case.
Davis’s attorneys argue that the state’s prosecution relies almost entirely on statements he gave during years of cooperation with authorities. They insist those statements were made under the understanding they would not be used against him.
In a statement to ABC, defense attorney Carl Arnold said the case raises serious fairness concerns. “Mr. Davis cooperated with law enforcement over the course of more than a decade, relying on repeated assurances that his statements would not be used against him, yet those very statements now form the core of the state’s case,” Arnold stated. “That is a clear due process violation. This case is under scrutiny both nationally and internationally. In such a high-profile prosecution, it’s critical that our justice system not only uphold the law, but be seen to be fair, consistent, and constitutional.”
Looks like Keefe D thought years of talking to the feds came with a lifetime hall pass, now he’s finding out the courts don’t honor street deals.
