Tupac Murder Suspect Keffe D’s Trial Date Set for June 3, 2024 – Ex-Gangster Spared from Death Penalty if Convicted of 1996 Crime

Mopreme Shakur, Tupac’s step-brother, called the arrest of Davis 27 years after the death of the rapper ‘bittersweet’ | Getty Images

On June 3, ‘Keffe D’ Davis, the man suspected of killing Tupac Shakur in 1996, is expected to appear in court; however, there will be no capital punishment associated with the allegations.

The 60-year-old Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis, a former street gang leader in Southern California, was taken into custody in September after he was suspected of planning the drive-by shooting in Las Vegas that murdered Tupac Shakur 27 years prior.

The only person from inside the automobile who fired the final shot at Shakur while he was still alive was Davis, and he was also the only one to face charges in connection with the murder. His trial is currently scheduled for June 3, 2024.

On November 2, in a Las Vegas courtroom, the self-described “gang member” submitted a not-guilty plea following delays and confusion over his legal counsel.

The prosecution stated that they do not intend to pursue the death sentence against Davis for the alleged offense.

Defense lawyer Ross Goodman represented Davis when he appeared in court three weeks ago, but the lawyer said that he and Davis were unable to come to an understanding.

Goodman had claimed that the prosecution was missing important evidence, such as a gun or car, and witnesses for the murder that was carried out 27 years prior.

Before making his plea, Davis, dressed in dark blue jail clothes, told the judge he had attended “a year in college,” that he was not under the influence of narcotics, alcohol, or prescription medicines, and that he realized he was being charged with murder.

Davis, sixty years old, is a native of Compton, California. After Las Vegas police executed a search warrant at a suburban Henderson residence on July 17, he was taken into custody on September 29. This arrest brought attention to one of the longest-running mysteries in hip-hop music.

Davis declined to talk with The Associated Press from jail, is still being held without access to bond, and did not testify before the grand jury that indicted him.

According to the indictment, before the car-to-car shooting at an intersection not far from the Las Vegas Strip that left Shakur terminally wounded and injured rap entrepreneur Marion “Suge” Knight, Davis allegedly got and gave a pistol to someone in the rear seat of a Cadillac.

Currently 58 years old, Knight is serving a 28-year jail term in California for the 2015 killing of a Compton businessman. Messages concerning Davis’s arrest sent through his attorneys have not received a response from him.

Born in New York City, Tupac Shakur was the son of two Black Panther militants. Having sold 75 million albums globally, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

The rivalry between East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect and West Coast units of a Crips sect, including Davis, for supremacy in a musical form known as “gangsta rap,” according to the prosecution, is what led to Shakur’s murder.

The grand jury was informed that Shakur and Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson got into a fight at a Las Vegas Strip casino a few hours prior and that this was the reason for the September 7, 1996 shooting in Las Vegas.

A grand jury was informed by prosecutors that Davis had confessed to the murder in many interviews and in a 2019 autobiography detailing his time as the leader of a Compton-based Crips group.

Disturbing bodycam film from September 29 saw Davis blatantly bragging, while under arrest, about being a part of the “biggest case” in Las Vegas history.

The moment Davis boasts that he’s a “pro” while being shoved into the back of the police car was captured on camera during his arrest. It also revealed that Davis is reportedly connected to the “biggest case in Las Vegas history.”

When the cops got out of an unmarked car to take him into custody, he said, “I don’t give a s***” and “I ain’t worried.”

Davis is told to “have a seat right in here” by one of the cops inside the police vehicle. After entering, the man declares, “I am a pro dude.” I understand.

Davis’ confidence astounded the arresting officer, who stated, “He said I am pro.” Of course.

The murder suspects also made jokes about being thirsty and wanting to sip some water during the arrest footage while officers shackled his wrists and looked for any weapons on him.

According to a veteran LAPD officer, it took 27 years for police to apprehend Duane “Keefe D” Davis for Tupac Shakur’s murder because he continued to strengthen their case.

The hip-hop artist’s friends insisted on knowing why it took so long to file charges, given that Davis has frequently boasted about his participation in interviews, podcasts, and even a biography.

Tupac’s stepsibling, Mopreme Shakur, described Davis’s arrest 27 years after the rapper’s passing as “bittersweet.”

He told CNN, “They have known about this guy, who has been running his mouth, for years. We have been through decades of pain.”

Why now, then? This is not over for us. Why did this happen, and are there any accomplices?

Greg Kading, who has looked into Shakur’s death before, speculated that maybe they were telling him to hang himself since he had already knotted the rope.

“You have this compilation of so many confessions because you didn’t just say it twice or five times,” he said.

It’s thought that at this point, he won’t be able to claim, “Hey, I was just kind of boasting, making stuff up.”

According to Davis, he reported to the police back in 2009 that he was inside the Cadillac when the shots were fired.

It is believed that in 2009, Davis struck a deal with federal authorities in California that permitted him to talk freely about a variety of subjects, including what he knew about the hip-hop artist’s 1996 death in Las Vegas.

Experts cautioned that the murder suspect’s words might not be used against him by the prosecution. They threatened to start a legal battle in court if they tried to.