Tupac murder suspect Keefe D made the same strange mistakes as OJ Simpson, says prosecutor who finally nailed NFL player

THE street gang shot caller that’s set to stand trial for the murder of Tupac Shakur made the same strange mistakes as OJ Simpson, said the prosecutor who finally nailed the infamous NFL star. Opening statements in the murder trial of Duane “Keefe D” Davis are scheduled to begin on Monday, nearly 30 years after the Compton gangbanger, 63, allegedly handed the firearm to the shooter who killed Shakur, 25. Duane Davis appears in court during the third day of jury selection in his murder trial on Wednesday Credit: AP Tupac Shakur and Marion ‘Suge’ Knight pictured together moments before the rapper was fatally shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 Credit: Tupac Shakur/Century A total of 12 to 14 shots were fired into the passenger side of the black BMW where Shakur was seated Credit: Grand Jury Las Vegas exhibits A mugshot of Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis following his arrested in September 2023 Credit: Getty Davis, as he specified in his memoir Compton Street Legend, is the only living person linked to Shakur’s drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996. “I’m one of the only living eyewitnesses to Tupac’s killing,” the introduction of his 2019 book said. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Through interviews and his memoir, Davis placed himself at the scene and inside the white Cadillac that was involved in the shooting of Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion ‘Suge’ Knight. In his book, Davis wrote, “Pac pulled out a strap, and that’s when the fireworks started. Read more in The U.S. Sun “One of my guys from the back seat grabbed a Glock and starting bustin’ back.” David Roger, the former district attorney of Nevada’s Clark County, said Davis put himself on trial through years of boasting and provided the ammunition prosecutors needed for an indictment. “Mr. Davis provided all the evidence. Had he not written a book, had he not done media interviews, they would have not have had a prosecutable case,” Roger told The U.S. Sun. “The three main remaining people who were in the vehicle are now dead. There aren’t any eyewitnesses who identified Mr. Davis. Most read in The Sun “Obviously, the fact that he provided the gun to the shooter, which is Orlando Anderson, would never have become public knowledge. “I’m sure that people within his community knew about his role. But, the gang mantra is snitches end up in ditches. “And so nobody was coming forward to say that Davis was bragging about Tupac’s murder.” During his tenure as the top prosecutor in Clark County, Roger’s office successfully prosecuted OJ Simpson on armed robbery charges in 2008. In September 2007, Simpson was arrested after leading five men into the Las Vegas hotel room at the Palace Station to confront sports memorabilia dealers and forcefully retrieve items he claimed belonged to him. Simpson’s conviction in Nevada came over a decade after his shocking acquittal for the double murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles in June 1994. David Roger, the former Clark County district attorney, noticed similarities been Duane Davis’ trial and OJ Simpson’s 2008 armed robbery case he prosecuted Credit: AFP Duane Davis said in an interview that he rejected a plea deal from state prosecutors Credit: Reuters Roger notices strange similarities between his time on the Simpson case and the upcoming trial of Davis, including the media attention both defendants indulged in. “These are two very high-profile cases. The defendants are somewhere similar,” Roger told The U.S. Sun. “We had talked to OJ Simpson’s attorney about a potential negotiation, and OJ Simpson was adamant that he wasn’t going to take any deal unless he was guaranteed probation, which was out of the question. “And, Davis talking to the media during this case, I don’t have any insight on it, but I doubt that he is willing to take a negotiation. “If there were an offer for him to go to prison, it doesn’t surprise me. “I think that in a strange way, he likes the media attention. And he is older and any sentence of imprisonment is really a death sentence for him. “There are some parallels.” In an interview with CBS affiliate KLAS, Davis revealed he rejected a plea agreement with prosecutors, claiming he was offered a 10-to-25-year sentence. However, Davis said at his age and with health conditions, the reported plea deal felt more like a life sentence. “I’m 63. I had a cancer battle,” Davis told the outlet. “I got three stints to my heart. The average American lives to be like 74 years old. Ten years, I’m dead. So, why would I want to take a plea deal.” Ahead of his trial date, Davis has repeatedly attempted to distance himself from the shooting, claiming he never wrote a sentence in his memoir and said he was seeking royalties when he spoke about Shakur’s murder in interviews. “I didn’t write the book. I don’t know nothing about no Winston Churchill,” Davis joked, referencing historical quotes in the book that he claimed were written by a ghost writer. “I just did it for the money.” Tupac Shakur was 25 years old at the time of his death Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Duane Davis’ memoir, Compton Street Legend, is at the center of the prosecution’s case Credit: KingDoMedia The prosecution’s case is expected to rely heavily on Davis’ words in his book and in interviews throughout the years. However, Davis’ attorney, Michael Sanft, said at a hearing in July that his client’s supposed confession was made to promote a book and sell the product. “We’re putting way too much credence and value and weight on statements that are made for entertainment purposes only,” Sanft said in court. “Not a confession to a priest, not a confession to a police officer, but rather to promote a book, to sell a product.” But prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo argued Davis would not have been prosecuted had he not been so outspoken about the crime. “Had he never decided to take money and go on BET and talk about this situation, had he decided to never write the book, he would not, probably, have ever been prosecuted for the crime,” DiGiacomo told the judge. Roger, the former Clark County district attorney, said Davis’ defense team will have to convince a jury their client is a pathological liar. “It is a very interesting case and interesting defense in that regard because they are going to have to establish that their client is a liar, that he embellished his role in this case to make money,” Roger told The U.S. Sun. “They will look at things that he wrote in the book that are provably wrong. “And it’s an interesting defense. So, I don’t think it’s a slam dunk for the prosecution. “I think the defense is going to have something to say in this case that will give them an ability to argue reasonable doubt.” Roger does not anticipate Davis taking the stand at his trial. Davis’ trial is expected to last four weeks. He has pleaded not guilty to a single count of murder with the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang in connection with Shakur’s killing. He is facing life in prison if convicted.