February 18, 2025:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada judge on Tuesday (Feb. 18, 2025) postponed the murder trial of the only suspect ever charged in the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur for nearly a year, saying she had little choice given new developments presented by his defense attorneys and the need to ensure a fair trial.
The trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, previously set for next month in Las Vegas, has been rescheduled for Feb. 9, 2026. The judge ordered prosecutors and the defense to return to court over the summer for a status hearing.
“It looks like there are quite a few things that are left to be done to get this case prepared so that Mr. Davis can have effective assistance of counsel,” Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny said during a short hearing.
When asked by the judge if he was OK with moving the trial that far out, Davis agreed.
Davis’ defense team filed a motion Friday seeking more time, saying critical investigative work had to be done and witnesses needed to be interviewed to ensure he gets a fair trial. The lawyers said a private investigator identified witnesses who can testify that Davis was not at the scene of the shooting.
Attorney Carl Arnold, who is leading the defense, said the case involves decades-old allegations and critical facts have yet to be fully examined.
On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in a BMW being driven by Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight. They were waiting at a red light when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and gunfire erupted.
Davis, an ex-gang leader who is accused of orchestrating Shakur’s killing near the Las Vegas Strip, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and has been jailed since his September 2023 arrest.
Davis has acknowledged in interviews and in his tell-all memoir that he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting and that he was in the car. But his court filings say his descriptions in recent years of orchestrating the shooting were “done for entertainment purposes and to make money.”
Arnold has argued that Davis never should have been charged because of immunity agreements that Davis says he reached years ago with federal and local prosecutors while living in California.
Prosecutors disagree, saying they have strong evidence against Davis and any immunity agreement was limited.
Defense attorneys also are raising questions about the manner of Shakur’s death, saying they have witness information indicating that he was in stable condition after the shooting and died suddenly after being hospitalized for a week. They want to consult medical and forensic experts to evaluate potential alternative causes of death.
February 17, 2025:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Attorneys for the man suspected of killing rap icon Tupac Shakur want to delay next month’s trial, saying more time is needed for investigative work to ensure that Duane “Keffe D” Davis gets a fair trial. The motion filed Friday (Feb. 14, 2025) in a Nevada court provides insight into Davis’ defense. It notes that a private investigator has identified witnesses who can testify that he was not even in Las Vegas at the time of the 1996 shooting. It also suggests that someone else may have orchestrated the killing and that witnesses are being interviewed. Davis has pleaded not guilty in Shakur’s death.
AUGUST 28, 2024:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge on Tuesday (Aug. 27, 2024) again rejected a request to free an ailing former Los Angeles-area gang leader ahead of his murder trial in the 1996 killing of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur, saying she suspects a cover-up related to the source of the funds for his bond.
The decision from Clark District Court Judge Carli Kierny came after an attorney for Duane “Keffe D” Davis said he would provide additional records to prove that the music record executive offering to underwrite Davis’ $750,000 bail had obtained the money legally. But Kierny said she was skeptical after receiving two identical letters apparently from an entertainment company that Cash “Wack 100” Jones says wired him the funds as payment for his work.
One letter was signed with a name that has no ties to the company, the judge said, while the second letter included a misspelled name and a return address tied to a doctor’s office.
“I have a sense that things are trying to be covered up,” Kierny said.
The hearing took a turn when Davis’ lawyer, Carl Arnold, told the judge that the bail bond agent used by Davis had provided the entertainment company with copy-and-paste instructions on the language for the letters and could therefore testify about their legitimacy.
In a scathing response, prosecutor Binu Palal said the bond dealer may have committed a felony crime by submitting “a false document to this court.”
“The state takes that very seriously,” he said. “Be advised that it will not go uninvestigated.”
Both Palal and Arnold declined to comment further.
Davis has sought to be released since shortly after his September 2023 arrest, which made him the only person ever to be charged in one of hip-hop’s most enduring mysteries. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
Also Tuesday, Kierny pushed back the start of Davis’ trial from Nov. 4 to March 17.
Kierny previously rejected Davis’ bid to have Jones put up $112,500 for his release to house arrest. Adding to her concerns, she said at the time, was the question of whether the pair planned to profit by selling Davis’ life story.
Nevada has a law, sometimes called a “slayer statute,” that prohibits convicted killers from profiting from their crimes.
Jones, who has managed artists including Johnathan “Blueface” Porter and Jayceon “The Game” Taylor, testified in June that he wanted to help Davis because he was fighting cancer and had “always been a monumental person in our community … especially the urban community.”
Davis himself has said in interviews and in his 2019 tell-all memoir that he is the only living suspect in the fatal drive-by shooting of Shakur nearly 28 years ago at a traffic light near the Las Vegas Strip.
Authorities say that the gunfire stemmed from competition between East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect and West Coast groups of a Crips sect, including Davis, for dominance in a genre known at the time as “gangsta rap.”
JUNE 27, 2024:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — An ailing former Los Angeles-area gang leader will stay in jail ahead of his trial in the 1996 killing of music legend Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. A Nevada judge ruled Wednesday (June 26, 2024) that she couldn’t determine if funds for Duane “Keffe D” Davis’ release were obtained legally — and that they didn’t hinge on a TV or movie deal. Davis has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His trial is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2024. Davis told the judge during a hearing Tuesday that he has cancer and wanted to post $750,000 bond and be released on house arrest pending trial. A Nevada law prohibits convicted killers from profiting from their crime.
JANUARY 10, 2024:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge in Nevada has set bail at $750,000 for a former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with orchestrating the killing of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur in 1996. The judge said at a bail hearing Tuesday (Jan. 9, 2024) in Las Vegas that Duane “Keffe D” Davis can serve house arrest ahead of trial. Court-appointed attorneys told The Associated Press they believe he can post that amount. They argue their 60-year-old client is in danger from witnesses and hasn’t been getting needed medical care in jail after battling cancer. Prosecutors argue that Davis has never left gang life, is a threat to witnesses and is a danger to the community.
JANUARY 2, 2024, UPDATE:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Prosecutors’ claims that witnesses may be at risk led a Nevada judge to postpone a bail hearing for a former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with orchestrating the killing of hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. The court date was reset Tuesday (Jan. 2, 2024) to Jan. 9, 2024, to let Duane “Keffe D” Davis’ court-appointed attorneys respond in writing. Prosecutors filed a document last week saying jail telephone recordings and a list of names provided to Davis’ family members show that Davis poses a threat to the public if he’s released to house arrest ahead of his trial in June. Davis has pleaded not guilty and has remained jailed without bail since his arrest in September.
JANUARY 2, 2024:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with killing hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas is seeking release to house arrest ahead of the trial in June. Court-appointed lawyers for Duane “Keffe D” Davis say Tuesday (Jan. 2, 2024) he’s now 60, in poor health and poses no danger to the community. But prosecutors say jail telephone recordings show that witnesses may be at risk of harm if Davis is released. Davis has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge and has remained jailed without bail since his arrest in September. Prosecutors say Davis’ own words provide strong evidence that he orchestrated the September 1996 drive-by shooting that killed Shakur.
NOVEMBER 7, 2023:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former Southern California street gang leader charged with killing rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 is expected to learn his court date for his murder trial. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is due in court Tuesday (Nov. 7, 2023). He pleaded not guilty last week and remains jailed in Las Vegas. The 60-year-old is originally from Compton, California. He was arrested Sept. 29 outside a Las Vegas-area home. He has said publicly in recent years that he orchestrated the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur and wounded rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which shots were fired.
NOVEMBER 2, 2023:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former Southern California street gang leader has pleaded not guilty to orchestrating a 1996 drive-by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which shots were fired and the only person to be charged with a crime in the case. The 60-year-old had attorneys appointed Thursday (Nov. 2, 2023) to his defense and the judge acknowledged that prosecutors won’t seek the death penalty. Davis remains jailed pending another court appearance next Tuesday. He’s originally from Compton, California, and was arrested Sept. 29 near his home in suburban Henderson.
OCTOBER 12, 2023:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the last living suspect in one of hip-hop’s most enduring mysteries — the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.
Davis, 60, is accused of orchestrating the drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip that also wounded rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. Davis was arrested and indicted Sept. 29, 2023, — more than two months after police raided his home outside Las Vegas. He remains jailed on a murder charge and is due back in court Oct. 19.
On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW that Knight was driving when a white Cadillac pulled up on their right side and gunfire erupted. Knight was wounded but survived. Shakur died a week later at the age of 25.
Police and prosecutors say the shooting stemmed from a fierce competition for dominance in a musical genre that pitted East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect against West Coast members of a Crips sect that Davis has said he led in Compton, California.
That night, three others were with Davis in the Cadillac, but none of them faced charges in Shakur’s killing before they died.
Here’s what we know about who was in both vehicles from authorities, court records, grand jury testimony, interviews and Davis’ 2019 tell-all memoir, “Compton Street Legend.”
Tupac Shakur
Shakur is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. He had five No. 1 albums, was nominated for six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. He received a posthumous star this year on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is the subject of a Los Angeles museum exhibit, “Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I’m Free.”
His death came as his fourth solo album, “All Eyez on Me,” remained on the charts, with some 5 million copies sold. He also used the stage names 2Pac and Makaveli. As an actor, he starred in several films.
Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks in New York in 1971, and his name was changed a year later. His late mother Afeni Shakur, and late stepfather Mutulu Shakur, were active in the Black Panther Party in New York. Tupac Shakur was not close with his biological father, William “Billy” Garland.
Two of the rapper’s siblings, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur and Mopreme Shakur, have criticized authorities for inaction and slowness in charging anyone with their brother’s death before now.
Marion “Suge” Knight
Knight founded Death Row Records, a Los Angeles-based music label that represented Shakur at the time of his death. Knight’s moniker was shortened from “Sugar Bear,” his nickname growing up in Compton.
Knight and Shakur were headed to a nightclub when their car was shot at near the Las Vegas Strip. Knight was grazed by a bullet or shrapnel.
Now 58, Knight is serving a 28-year prison sentence in California for running over and killing a Compton businessman outside a burger stand in January 2015. The case capped the former rap music mogul’s downfall from his heyday as one of the biggest — and most feared — names in the music industry.
Davis said he and Knight knew each other growing up and even played on the same youth football team in Compton. Knight went on to play college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Briefly, during the 1987 NFL players’ strike, he was a replacement player for the Los Angeles Rams.
In his memoir, Davis describes Knight and himself as the “only living eyewitnesses to what truly happened.”
Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson
Law enforcement authorities long suspected that Anderson was the gunman. He was 22 at the time. Though Davis was his uncle and 12 years older, he described their relationship as that of brothers, friends and even father-son.
Shortly before the drive-by shooting, Anderson was beaten in a brawl at the MGM Grand casino involving Shakur and associates, including Knight. Authorities, authors and Davis himself say the shooting was an act of retaliation for beating up Anderson.
“Them jumping on my nephew gave us the ultimate green light to do something,” Davis writes in his book.
Davis said he obtained a handgun from an associate and tossed it into the back seat of the Cadillac but did not say who fired the fatal shots. Anderson was sitting in the backseat of the car, behind his uncle.
Neither the Cadillac nor the gun used in the shooting were recovered, according to retired Las Vegas police Detective Clifford Mogg, who was assigned to the investigation in early 2018.
“We were never able to identify the person who rented the car, where it was rented from, and then when it comes to the gun, we have never recovered as of this date, the weapon that was used in the murder,” Mogg said in testimony to the grand jury.
Anderson, who denied involvement in Shakur’s killing, died two years later in what police said was an unrelated shooting at a Compton car wash.
Deandrae “Freaky” Smith
Also known as “Big Dre,” Smith was in the back seat of the car that night, sitting next to Anderson.
Although authorities have said they believe Anderson pulled the trigger, the grand jury testimony challenged that theory.
Denvonta Lee, a former associate of Davis, told the grand jury that it was Smith who shot Shakur and Knight. He said Anderson tried reaching over Smith but didn’t have a “clear shot” out the left-rear passenger window.
The former associate, who wasn’t in the car but recounted a conversation he had with Smith days after the shooting, said Smith took the gun from Anderson, opened fire and let Anderson take credit for Shakur’s death.
Smith was 30 when he died in 2004 of natural causes, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Terry “Bubble Up” Brown
Brown was driving the Cadillac from which the shots were fired.
Davis said in his memoir that they were driving toward Las Vegas Boulevard that night but spotted Shakur “hanging out of the window” of the BMW and waving to fans. Davis told Brown to make a U-turn, and they drove slowly past the rapper’s convoy until Davis said they “found who we were seeking.”
Brown died in a 2015 shooting at a medical marijuana dispensary in Compton.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office said his full name was Terry Tyrone Brown, although Brown has been referred to as both “Terrence” and “Terrance” in investigative records. The coroner’s office declined to release more information, citing a security hold on the case.
OCTOBER 4, 2023:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A self-described gangster who police and prosecutors say masterminded the shooting death of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 is due to make his first appearance Wednesday before a Nevada judge.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, was arrested Friday (Sept. 29, 2023) during an early-morning walk near his home in suburban Henderson. A few hours later a grand jury indictment was unsealed in Clark County District Court charging him with murder.
Grand jurors also voted to add sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon and alleged gang activity. If Davis is convicted, that could add decades to his sentence.
Davis denied a request from The Associated Press for an interview from jail where he’s being held without bond. Court records don’t list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Davis had been a suspect in the case, and publicly admitted his role in the killing in interviews ahead of his 2019 tell-all memoir, “Compton Street Legend.”
“There’s one thing that’s for sure when living that gangster lifestyle,” he wrote. “You already know that the stuff you put out is going to come back; you never know how or when, but there’s never a doubt that it’s coming.”
Davis’ own comments revived the police investigation that led to the indictment, police and prosecutors said. In mid-July, Las Vegas police raided Davis’ home, drawing renewed attention to one of hip-hop music’s most enduring mysteries.
Prosecutors allege Shakur’s killing stemmed from a rivalry and competition for dominance in a musical genre that, at the time, was dubbed “gangsta rap.” It pitted East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect associated with rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight against West Coast members of a Crips sect that Davis has said he led in Compton, California.
Tension escalated in Las Vegas the night of Sept. 7, 1996, when a brawl broke out between Shakur and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, at the MGM Grand hotel-casino following a heavyweight championship boxing match won by Mike Tyson.
Knight and Shakur went to the fight, as did members of the South Side Crips,” prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said last week in court. “And (Knight) brought his entourage, which involved Mob Piru gang members.”
After the casino brawl, Knight drove a BMW with Shakur in the front passenger seat. The car was stopped at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip when a white Cadillac pulled up on the passenger side and gunfire erupted.
Shot multiple times, Shakur died a week later at age 25. Knight was grazed by a bullet fragment.
Davis has said he was in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac and handed a .40-caliber handgun to his nephew in the back seat, from which he said the shots were fired.
In Nevada, a person can be convicted of murder for helping another person commit the crime.
Among the four people in the Cadillac that night, Davis is the only one still alive. Anderson died in a May 1998 shooting in Compton. Before his death, Anderson denied involvement in Shakur’s death. The other backseat passenger, DeAndre “Big Dre” or “Freaky” Smith, died in 2004. The driver, Terrence “Bubble Up” Brown, died in a 2015 shooting in Compton.
Knight, now 58, is now serving a 28-year prison sentence for running over and killing a Compton businessman outside a burger stand in January 2015.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who oversees the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, has acknowledged criticism that his agency was slow to investigate Shakur’s killing.
“That was simply not the case,” McMahill said. He called the investigation “important to this police department.”
Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, issued a statement describing the arrest as “a pivotal moment” but didn’t praise authorities who investigated the case.
“The silence of the past 27 years surrounding this case has spoken loudly in our community,” she said.
JULY 21, 2023:
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JULY 20, 2023:
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JULY 18, 2023:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Authorities in Nevada served a search warrant this week in connection with the long-unsolved killing of rapper Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years ago, they confirmed Tuesday (July 18, 2023).
Shakur, one of the most prolific figures in hip-hop, was killed on the night of Sept. 7, 1996, in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He was 25.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the search warrant was executed Monday in the nearby city of Henderson. It’s unclear what they were looking for and where they were looking.
Department spokesperson Aden OcampoGomez said in a brief phone call that he couldn’t provide further details on the latest development in the case, citing the open investigation.
Nevada does not have a statute of limitations for prosecuting homicide cases.
Shakur was gunned down while sitting inside a black BMW with Marion “Suge” Knight, head of Death Row Records. Police have said the two were waiting at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and gunfire erupted. Shot multiple times, Shakur was rushed to a hospital, where he died six days later.
No arrests have ever been made. Las Vegas police have said in the past that the investigation quickly stalled in part because witnesses refused to cooperate.
Shakur’s death came amid his feud with rap rival the Notorious B.I.G., who was fatally shot six months later. At the time, both rappers were in the middle of the infamous East Coast-West Coast rivalry, which primarily defined the hip-hop scene during the mid-1990s. The feud was ignited after Shakur was seriously wounded in another shooting during a robbery in the lobby of a midtown Manhattan hotel.
Shakur openly accused B.I.G. and Sean “Diddy” Combs of having prior knowledge of the shooting, which both vehemently denied. The shooting sparked enough of a feud that created a serious divide within the hip-hop community and fans.
The New York-born Shakur represented the West Coast after he signed with Los Angeles-based Death Row Records. He often traded verbal jabs in the media and through songs. B.I.G. and Combs hailed from the East Coast while representing New York City-based Bad Boy Records.
Largely considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time, the six-time Grammy Award -nominated Shakur has had five No. 1 albums: 1995’s “Me Against the World,” 1996’s “All Eyez on Me,” and three posthumous releases: 1996’s “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory,” which was recorded under the name Makaveli, as well as 2001’s “Until the End of Time” and 2004’s “Loyal to the Game.”
His professional music career only lasted five years, but Shakur secured 21 Billboard Hot 100s, including top 10 hits “Dear Mama” and “Old School” in 1995, and his best-known track, 1996’s “How Do U Want It/California Love” featuring K-Ci and JoJo. The latter spent two weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 from his final studio album and Death Row Records debut, “All Eyez on Me.”
According to entertainment data company Luminate, Shakur has sold 33 million albums, 41 million when including track sale and streaming equivalents. The rapper’s on-demand video and audio streams total 10.1 billion.
In 2017, Shakur was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Snoop Dogg. In June of this year, the rapper received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s also had some museum exhibits that paid homage to his life, including “Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I’m Free,” which opened in 2021.
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