Defendant Duane “Keffe D” Davis to Face Murder Trial Over Tupac Shakur Shooting
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who authored a 2019 book describing his alleged role in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial, with prosecutors planning to use his own statements as primary evidence.
Duane Davis, known as “Keffe D,” is set to stand trial in Nevada for the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, authored a 2019 memoir that detailed a plan to confront Shakur and Death Row Records founder Suge Knight, describing how he and three accomplices searched for the pair on the Las Vegas Strip. Prosecutors say the book, along with podcast, documentary interviews and prior police statements, forms the core of their case, noting that no weapon, vehicle or surveillance footage has been recovered.
The state argues that the defendant’s own accounts are the most reliable evidence, while the defense contends that the statements were fabricated to sell books and that a co-author inserted false details. > “It’s quite the reversal. You rarely see something like that,” said CNN legal analyst Laura Coates. > “He’s the defendant but he’s also the all-star witness, quite frankly,” added CNN analyst Joey Jackson.
Davis previously gave a 2008 proffer interview to federal agents, describing how he, his nephew Orlando Anderson and two others sought retaliation after Shakur and Knight allegedly assaulted Anderson. He claimed Anderson fired the fatal shots from the back seat of a vehicle. The proffer agreement barred the use of that interview to charge Davis, but a judge ruled that his public statements, including the memoir, are admissible.
The indictment alleges Davis either directly killed Shakur, supplied the firearm used, or conspired in the killing. Prosecutors cite corroborating details, such as a Polaroid showing Davis in a distinctive “Ray Luca Crime Story” suit mentioned in the book. The defense plans to highlight inconsistencies and proven falsehoods in the memoir to undermine its credibility.
The trial, expected to last about a month, begins with jury selection on Monday. If convicted, Davis faces a possible life sentence. He has repeatedly denied involvement, telling police at the time of his 2023 arrest, “I ain’t worried about it… I didn’t do sh*t.”