Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a 62-year-old former Compton gang figure, filed an appeal this week urging the Nevada Supreme Court to dismiss the murder charge that’s kept him jailed since September 2023. Nearly three decades after Tupac Shakur’s fatal shooting rocked the music world, the only man ever charged in the case is asking Nevada’s highest court to toss the indictment.
Davis was arrested following a renewed push by Las Vegas authorities into Shakur’s 1996 killing—a drive-by shooting that left the 25-year-old rapper mortally wounded near the Strip. While Davis wasn’t in the car that fired the fatal shots, prosecutors allege he orchestrated the attack. In his 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend and numerous interviews, Davis admitted to handing his nephew, the late Orlando Anderson, the gun allegedly used in the ambush.
His defense hinges on immunity agreements Davis claims were offered during previous cooperation with federal and local law enforcement. According to the appeal, Davis gave interviews in 1998, 1999, 2008, and 2009, allegedly under the condition that his statements would not lead to prosecution. His attorney, Carl Arnold, says those statements now form the crux of the case—a violation, he argues, of Davis’ constitutional rights.
“Mr. Davis relied on repeated assurances,” Arnold said. “Those promises were broken, and his rights were ignored.”
A district court judge rejected Davis’ first motion to dismiss earlier this year, citing insufficient evidence of a formal immunity deal and ruling that the 27-year gap between the killing and charges wasn’t intentional or prejudicial.
The new appeal urges the Nevada Supreme Court to reconsider, arguing the delay has compromised Davis’ ability to build a proper defense. It also highlights the lack of forensic evidence or eyewitness testimony linking Davis directly to the shooting—only his own admissions.
Davis remains incarcerated at the Clark County Detention Center, with a trial date set for February 2026. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Tupac Shakur, a towering figure in hip-hop, was fatally shot while riding with Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight after a Mike Tyson fight. At the time, Shakur’s double album All Eyez on Me was soaring on the charts.
His cultural imprint remains indelible nearly 30 years after his death.
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