Keefe D’s lawyers reportedly slam weak case in Tupac Murder, request court to dismiss charges

Duane “Keefe D” Davis has become the central figure in the decades-long investigation into Tupac’s murder. According to Billboard, Davis' legal team has put out a plea requesting that the charges against their client be dropped by arguing that the prosecution's argument is built on quicksand.

A request of a similar nature was also put before the court earlier this year, but was reportedly shot down by the judge. Keefe D has been in jail for nearly two years now, and amid claims over his deteriorating health, his attorney (Carl Arnold) has released a statement which states the following:

"This prosecution has captured worldwide attention. The global public is watching how Nevada upholds due process, fairness, and the rule of law in one of the most closely scrutinized criminal proceedings in recent memory."

The statement released by Keefe D's team goes on to add:

"Nevada law is unambiguous: a conviction cannot rest solely on an uncorroborated extrajudicial statement. The State has offered nothing to corroborate the trustworthiness of Mr. Davis’s alleged statements, and nothing independently connecting him to the murder itself. Although Mr. Davis was not charged until 2023, the prosecution arises from a homicide that occurred in 1996—nearly three decades ago. The Court should exercise its discretion to hear the petition on the merits now—before the damage is done."

Latest updates on the Keefe D trial

Ever since Tupac was killed in a drive-by shooting incident in 1996, questions over the identity of his assassin have hovered like an asterisk. Conspiracy theories on who the shooter was include feuding rappers, groups of gang members, and even government conspiracies, but no one was prosecuted until recently.

Duane “Keefe D” Davis was indicted for murder with the use of a deadly weapon two years ago, owing to the statements he made in past interviews with police and media. He has now been in jail for almost 2 years, and there have also been reports of him being in poor health.

While Keefe D's legal counsel has requested his release owing to his poor health and lack of flight risk, their requests have been rejected in the past. In an interview with ABC News, Davis himself shed light on the case earlier this year. He was quoted as saying:

"They ain’t got no evidence, they don’t got nothing. They know they don’t have nothing. They can’t even place me out here [at the time of shooting], they don’t have no gun, no car, no Keefe D, no nothing. Everybody on video but Keefe D. This is wrong, man [...] I thought I was gonna do college with my grandkids. They’re pretty good athletes"

He added:

"Eighteen years later, I did everything they asked me to do. Get new friends, stop selling drugs. I stopped all that. I shouldn’t have said nothing. I shouldn’t have said nothing. And I’m innocent, man. And God got my back and God will see me through this."

Davis' legal team had also been successful in delaying the date of his trial earlier this year, and seems to be adopting a much more aggressive approach this time around. With the trial currently on course to begin in February 2026, it remains to be seen how the case will unfold.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback