LAS VEGAS — The sole individual charged in the high-profile murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur during the 1990s has faced a setback in his legal battle.
On Tuesday, Judge Carli Kierny of the Clark County District Court ruled against Duane “Keffe D” Davis’s attempt to have his murder case thrown out. The judge asserted that Davis could not claim protection from prosecution due to unspecified immunity agreements he alleged to have struck years prior with federal and local law enforcement while he was living in California.
Davis’s attorney, Carl Arnold, contended that these alleged deals should have prevented any murder charges from being filed. Additionally, Arnold described the indictment as a severe infringement of Davis’s constitutional rights, pointing to a considerable 27-year delay in bringing the case to court. However, Judge Kierny noted that there was no evidence to suggest that the delay was intentional.
Following the ruling, Arnold indicated that they would deliberate on whether to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court in the upcoming days. Presently, Davis’s trial is slated to commence on March 17 in Las Vegas, though the proceedings may be postponed pending the outcome of an appeal. Davis maintains a not guilty plea for first-degree murder and is currently incarcerated in Las Vegas.
Prosecutors assert that the evidence against Davis is compelling, highlighting his own narrative of the events surrounding the 1996 shooting in a memoir he published. As a former gang leader, Davis stands accused of orchestrating the shooting that claimed Shakur’s life shortly after a confrontation at a casino involving Shakur and Davis’s nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.
Hailing from Compton, California, Davis was arrested in September 2023 in Las Vegas, nearly three decades following the incident that has become a significant enigma in hip-hop history. In various interviews and his memoir released in 2019, Davis recounted acquiring a .40-caliber handgun and passing it to Anderson in a vehicle from which it is believed shots were fired at Shakur in a different car.
Davis is the last surviving suspect associated with the case, as Anderson had previously denied his involvement before his death in 1998. Additionally, two other individuals in the car with Davis and Anderson are also deceased.
Tupac Shakur, who was only 25 at the time of his death, saw his fourth solo album, “All Eyez on Me,” remain a massive commercial success, achieving sales of approximately 5 million copies. A six-time Grammy nominee, Shakur is widely recognized as one of the most impactful and multifaceted rappers in music history.
