In a recent development, the trial date for Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with the 1996 murder of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, has been postponed from June to November. Davis, 60, the only surviving occupant of the vehicle from which shots were fired, appeared in Clark County District Court where his new attorney, Carl Arnold, expressed optimism about securing bail for his client.
During the court proceedings, Davis mentioned the reluctance of his family to participate in a “source hearing” to verify the legality of the funds for his $750,000 bail. He attributed their hesitation to media attention surrounding the case, referring to it as a “circus.”
Originally from Compton, California, Davis pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in November, 27 years after the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur. The trial postponement was attributed to ongoing evidence disclosure from prosecutors to the defense, and the trial date was reset to November 4 by Judge Carli Kierny.
Arnold, addressing reporters outside the courtroom, indicated that Davis might complete raising the 10% bail amount, $75,000, this week. He expressed confidence in the possibility of Davis being released to house arrest with electronic monitoring while anticipating a source hearing within 30 days.
Prosecutors claim strong evidence against Davis, citing self-incriminating statements made during police and media interviews since 2008 and his 2019 memoir. The defense, however, contends that the book was written for financial gain, comparing it to actions taken by a police investigator. Arnold emphasized the lack of a murder weapon or the vehicle involved in the shooting, challenging the state to prove Davis’s presence in Las Vegas on the night of Shakur’s murder.
Davis previously asserted that he was promised immunity in 2010 when he provided information to Los Angeles authorities about the fatal shootings of Shakur and rival rapper Christopher Wallace. Wallace, also known as The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, was killed six months later in Los Angeles.
Tupac Shakur, renowned for his contributions to hip-hop, had five No. 1 albums, received six Grammy Award nominations, and was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Last year, he was honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
