Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Moves Forward as Judge Denies Keffe D's Dismissal Motion

True Crime Today | A True Crime Podcast

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the only person charged in the 1996 murder of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, will face trial after a Las Vegas judge denied his motion to dismiss the case. Davis, 61, has been behind bars since being charged in September 2024 with murder with a deadly weapon with intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang.
Davis’s attorney, Carl Arnold, filed a motion earlier this month to dismiss the case, arguing that prosecutors had delayed proceedings and violated an alleged immunity agreement. Arnold contended that Davis cooperated with federal and local authorities, which should have protected him from prosecution.
However, prosecutors pushed back, asserting that Davis lacked proof of any such immunity agreement. In their filing, prosecutors emphasized that Davis “doesn’t have any quantifiable proof” supporting his immunity claims.
During the hearing, District Judge Carli Kierny sided with the prosecution, ruling that the state “never gave [Keffe D] immunity.” The judge’s decision clears the way for the case to proceed.
Arnold acknowledged the significance of the ruling, stating, “You’re not just going to dismiss the biggest case in the U.S. right off the bat. But you have to put these issues out for an appellate court.” He also hinted at a potential appeal to Nevada’s highest court.
The charges against Davis stem from the infamous drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip that killed Tupac Shakur and injured Death Row Records CEO Marion “Suge” Knight. Prosecutors allege the incident was fueled by a rivalry between the South Side Crips, of which Davis was a member, and the Mob Piru gang associated with Death Row Records.
The events of that night, according to prosecutors, were set in motion during a brawl at the MGM Grand involving Shakur, Knight, and Davis’s nephew, Orlando Anderson. The altercation reportedly escalated into the deadly shooting that claimed Shakur’s life and left the music world reeling.
Davis, who has drawn attention for his detailed public accounts of the incident, is accused of procuring the weapon used in the shooting and providing it to Anderson, who was in the backseat of the car. Anderson, who denied involvement, was killed in an unrelated shooting in 1998, leaving Davis as the last living suspect tied to the crime.
The case marks a critical moment in the decades-long investigation into one of music’s most notorious unsolved murders. With the trial looming, fans and observers alike are watching closely for what may finally be the resolution to a mystery that has haunted the hip-hop community for nearly three decades.
#TupacMurderTrial #KeffeD #2PacJustice #TupacShakur #HipHopHistory #LasVegasNews #UnsolvedMysteries
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