It took three decades to arrest the only suspect in the 1996 murder of Hip-Hop legend Tupac Shakur. But in 2023, ex-gang leader, Duane “Keefe D” Davis was arrested and charged with murder following his own confession. Now, it seems Davis has completely changed his tune.
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On Monday, Jan 6, Davis’ attorney, Carl Arnold, filed a motion to dismiss all charges against his client, according to ABC 7. The motion claims “egregious” constitutional violations were made in the 27-year delay in prosecuting the murder. Additionally, Arnold alleges a lack of evidence and the failure to honor Davis’ immunity agreement is more than enough grounds to toss the case.
In a news release obtained by WXII, Arnold said “The prosecution has failed to justify a decades-long delay that has irreversibly prejudiced my client. Moreover, the failure to honor immunity agreements undermines the criminal justice system’s integrity and seriously questions this prosecution.”
The suspect is accused of orchestrating the shooting which killed Shakur and wounded notorious rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight in Las Vegas. Davis has pleaded not guilty on the murder charges, but according to authorities, up until now, Davis had been going around town bragging about his involvement in Shakur’s death for years.
ABC News previously reported how Davis confessed to his role in the homicide in 2008 to detectives on a joint federal-Los Angeles task force. According to police at the time, Davis confessed as part of a “proffer agreement,” which means anything he told investigators at the time could not be used against him in court.
Then in 2009, Davis again confirmed his role as the “shot caller” in Tupac’s killing with Las Vegas detectives, according to police. And if he didn’t make himself extra clear, Davis even went on record in several interviews and a docuseries confessing to the whole thing.... what a great idea.
But here’s the issue with all of this. Now, Davis’ attorneys are alleging federal and local authorities aren’t keeping up with their end of the deal of the immunity agreement.
But on the flip side, Las Vegas Metro PD insist they had no role in the proffer agreement granting Davis immunity and that Vegas detectives never promised not to prosecute Davis, making his current charges perfectly legal, according to interview recordings and transcripts reviewed by ABC.
The only thing that seems to be working in favor of Davis is that after all of this time since the murder, most evidence, including the car and gun used, are no where to be found. Additionally, key witnesses from Davis’ account, like his nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson and two other men, are all dead, according to WXII.
We’ll just have to wait and see what a judge has to say about all of this. A hearing over Davis’ motion to dismiss has been scheduled for Jan. 21.
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