Duane "Keefe D" Davis, 60, appears in a Las Vegas court on October 19, 2023 for his arraignment on murder charges in the death of rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur, 25, died on September 7, 1996, six days after being shot while in a car near the Las Vegas Strip. (Photo by John Locher / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN LOCHER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Keefe D is walking back years of statements about his involvement in Tupac Shakur’sdeath. Now, he’s saying his admittance was for “entertainment” purposes only.
This unexpected pivot comes more than six months before Keefe D Davis goes to trial. The accused set the stage for denying involvement when he pled not guilty in November. Given his plea, a judge reportedly informed him that he faces life in prison if convicted on one count of murder.
According to KTNV Las Vegas, the accused had his lawyers file a motion last week requesting “reasonable bail” until trial. The court proceedings begin June 3.
“Duane should not be denied bail in this case. It cannot be said that the proof is evident and the presumption great that Duane is guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Shakur,” the motion reportedly reads. “This Court should release Duane on house arrest with electronic monitoring pending trial.”
As previously reported, Tupac Shakur died in September 1996 from injuries sustained in a drive-by shooting at a stoplight. Las Vegas arrested Keefe in September 2023 after searching his wife’s home in July 2023 and testing .40-caliber bullet cartridges found. Investigators also recovered computers, a Vibe magazine featuring Tupac, a hard drive, photos, and a copy of Keefe’s memoir.
That book, ‘Compton Street Legend’ says Keefe D admitted he told federal and local LV investigators in 2010 that he witnessed the killing and provided the firearm. He was reportedly in the passenger seat.
He also claimed his nephew Orlando ‘Baby Lane’ Anderson was in the back seat with DeAndre ‘Dre Smith’ while Terrence ‘T-Brown’ Brown drove the Cadillac. Davis is the only surviving person from the group mentioned.
Now, his lawyers say prosecutors “never verified” Keefe’s statements and that he said it for “entertainment.”
“The truthfulness of the content of the interviews was never verified. The book and interviews were done for entertainment and to make money from a situation that Kading and others had already profited from,”Keefe’s lawyer wrote.
Keefe D has given up “his old lifestyle,” per his lawyers. They also cited health conditions and lack of resources for management as reasons for a judge to release Keefe. He is currently in the Clark County Detention Center.
“He is not getting his bi-monthly oncologist check-ups. Additionally, his heart health has declined. He was put back on a group of medications to try to get things under control,” the motion said. “He has to take these medications in the jail because he is unable to do the things necessary to maintain proper health. His diet in jail is terrible. He is given heavily processed meals full of sodium that barely pass as food.”
At this time, prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.
