Tupac Shakur Murder Case Takes Another Turn as Keffe D Appeals to Dismiss Charges

Nearly three decades after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip, the man charged in connection with the rapper’s death is now asking Nevada’s highest court to throw out the case. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who was arrested in September 2023 on first-degree murder charges, has filed an appeal with the Nevada Supreme Court to dismiss the case. Davis’ attorneys argue that his constitutional rights were violated and that the prosecution’s case hinges entirely on statements he made under supposed immunity.

Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, 61, has remained behind bars without bail since his arrest. His legal team claims that the prosecution is relying on his interviews and his 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend, in which he recounted details of the night Tupac Shakur was killed. Davis has since insisted those statements were made under the belief that they couldn’t be used against him.

“Mr. Davis spoke to law enforcement years ago under clear agreements that what he said couldn’t be used against him,” said his attorney, Carl Arnold, in a statement. “That’s not just unfair — it’s unconstitutional.”

According to the appeal filed Tuesday, Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis was interviewed in 1998, 1999, 2008, and 2009, allegedly under agreements of immunity. In earlier interviews, Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis denied knowing the Tupac killer. However, later statements seemed to place him at the scene and identify the shooter — Orlando Anderson, his nephew, who had been involved in a physical altercation with Tupac hours before the murder.

Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis at Tupac Shakur’s Murder Trial

Prosecutors claim Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis orchestrated the retaliatory shooting, handed over the weapon, and rode in the Cadillac that pulled up beside Tupac’s car on September 7, 1996. The iconic rapper died six days later at age 25.

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The district court denied Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis’ initial motion to dismiss in January, saying there was no concrete evidence of immunity and that the 27-year delay in prosecution was not intentional. However, Davis’s attorneys argue that the lack of physical evidence and reliance on alleged immunised statements make the case legally indefensible.

The Nevada Supreme Court has yet to rule on the appeal. Meanwhile, Davis’ trial — originally slated for this year — has been pushed to February 2026 to allow time for further witness investigation.

As the hip-hop community continues to search for closure, this latest legal twist only deepens the mystery surrounding one of music’s most infamous unsolved crimes.