In Las Vegas, a judge has once again denied a request to release an ailing former Los Angeles gang leader, also known as Duane “Keffe D” Davis, before his impending murder trial in connection with the 1996 shooting death of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. District Court Judge Carli Kierny voiced suspicion of a potential cover-up regarding the source of the funds for his $750,000 bail, leading to her decision.
During the hearing, Davis’ attorney assured the court of providing additional financial documentation to demonstrate that the record executive intending to finance Davis’ bail, Cash “Wack 100” Jones, obtained the money through legal means. However, the judge remained unconvinced after receiving two nearly identical letters purportedly from an entertainment company linked to Jones, with discrepancies in the signatures and return address raising doubts about their authenticity.
The situation escalated when it was revealed that the bail bond agent had provided the entertainment company with instructions for composing the letters, prompting the prosecutor Binu Palal to suggest the possibility of felony charges for submitting false documents to the court. Palal emphasized the gravity of the situation and asserted that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.
Davis had been pursuing his release since his arrest in September 2023, marking the sole individual ever charged in the enduring mystery surrounding Tupac Shakur’s murder. Judge Kierny had previously rejected a proposal for Jones to contribute $112,500 towards Davis’ bail, citing concerns of potential profit motives and the involvement of undisclosed parties. Nevada law includes provisions, like the “slayer statute,” to prohibit convicted felons from benefiting financially from their crimes.
Jones, a music executive with a history of managing artists, expressed his desire to support Davis due to his battle with cancer and his significance in the community. Davis, who maintains his innocence on the first-degree murder charge, remains the only surviving occupant of a vehicle involved in the fatal shooting that claimed Shakur’s life and injured rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight nearly 28 years ago.
The trial for Davis, initially set for November 4, has now been rescheduled by Judge Kierny to commence on March 17. Prosecutors allege that the gunfire targeting Shakur in Las Vegas arose from a rivalry between East Coast Bloods and West Coast Crips factions within the gangsta rap scene during that era.
