Honk News (Las Vegas, NV) – A bid to dismiss the murder case against the sole suspect charged in the 1990s killing of rap legend Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas has been denied.
On Tuesday, Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny delivered a ruling stating that Duane “Keffe D” Davis does not have protection from prosecution, as he has failed to present evidence of the immunity agreements he claims to have made years ago with federal and local authorities during his time in California.
Davis and his attorney contended that the murder charges against him were unjust due to those agreements. Attorney Carl Arnold described the indictment of his 61-year-old client as a serious infringement of constitutional rights due to a 27-year delay in prosecution. However, Kierny stated that she found no evidence suggesting that the delay was intentional.
Arnold stated following the court proceedings that a decision will be made in the next few days regarding a potential appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Davis is set to face trial in Las Vegas on March 17, although there may be a postponement as he pursues an appeal. He has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder and is currently in custody in Las Vegas.
Authorities have indicated that the case against Davis is compelling, highlighted by his own narratives of the 1996 incident in his revealing autobiography. Davis, a former gang leader, faces allegations of masterminding the shooting close to the Las Vegas Strip that resulted in Shakur’s death, which occurred shortly after a confrontation at a casino involving both Shakur and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.
Davis hails from Compton, California. In September 2023, he was taken into custody in his local area close to Las Vegas, almost three decades following the incident that remains one of the most captivating enigmas in hip-hop history.
Davis recounted in interviews and his 2019 memoir about his experiences as a leader of a Crips gang sect in Compton, detailing how he acquired a .40-caliber handgun and passed it to Anderson while seated in the back of a car, from which authorities allege shots were directed at Shakur in a different vehicle.
Davis remains the sole surviving suspect. Anderson consistently refuted any connection to the shooting prior to his passing in 1998. Additionally, two other individuals who were in the vehicle with Anderson and Davis have also lost their lives.
The untimely passing of Shakur at the age of 25 occurred while his fourth solo album continued to dominate the charts, boasting sales of approximately 5 million copies. With six Grammy nominations to his name, Shakur remains widely regarded as one of the most impactful and adaptable artists in the history of rap.