Tupac suspect Keefe D makes brazen 11th hour bid to escape murder charge on 1st Amendment technicality days before trial

THE self-confessed Los Angeles gangster facing trial for the murder of Tupac Shakur wants his case thrown out immediately and an apology from local law enforcement. Duane “Keefe D” Davis, 63, claims he’s being wrongfully charged, despite having confessed to overseeing Shakur’s death multiple times to police investigators, in a memoir, and numerous media interviews. Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis pictured at Clark County District Court in January 2025 for a hearing on a motion to dismiss all charges in his case Credit: Getty Davis was arrested in September 2023 and charged with the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur Credit: Alamy Mike Sanft, Davis’ attorney, has come out firing insisting that the Clark County district attorney’s office’s case is weak and that prosecutors’ evidence is not enough for a conviction. Sanft believes the case should not have even made it to court. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Davis, who has boasted about his past as a drug dealer and Compton street gang boss, is in “good spirits” and optimistic about his chances at trial, which is scheduled to begin on August 10. He will not take the stand, but he maintains that all his confessions about being the shot caller for Shakur’s killing were lies to garner “fame and fortune.” Read more in The U.S. Sun Sanft argued his client was “exercising his First Amendment right to free speech, even though it is not in good taste.” The defense reflected on the high-profile cases centered on Shakur’s fatal shooting while the rapper was out with his crew, including Death Row Records boss Suge Knight, close to the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996. Davis has been in custody for nearly three years after being arrested and charged with Shakur’s murder in September 2023. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has asked for life imprisonment rather than the death penalty if Davis is convicted. Most read in The Sun Rumors have circulated in recent days that Davis was offered a plea deal of a 15-year sentence for admitting guilt. However, Sanft denied that any such deal was offered and went further, insisting only one district attorney offer would be acceptable. “Some clients go for a plea deal because you do have some control over the negotiation with the DA compared to a verdict by 12 strangers,” Sanft told The U.S. Sun. “Here’s my problem, Keefe’s been in custody now for three years, and it’s standard operating procedure for the DA’s office, at some point, to offer a deal that says, basically: ‘Well, Keefe, you could take, five to 15, you’ve already done three, and you’ll have to do two more and you’re out.’ “And then DA Steve Wolfson would tell the public: ‘He’s accepted responsibility, you may be disappointed in the amount of time but we’ve spoken with the family and we believe that justice has been served for everybody involved.’ “Thank you and then they can just take that scalp. Bulls**t. Of course, I have to give Keefe every option because I’m bound by that ethically, and Keefe will make his final call.” Sanft added, “If it’s something he wants to do fine. But I would tell Keefe over and over again that the only offer that makes sense right now is a dismissal. “And I would lift the second part of the requirement, and that there is a written apology from Steven Wolfson to even charge the case. “It’s right that they walk into court and say, ‘Your Honor, we don’t have this case the way we want it against Mr. Davis. We are asking for a dismissal.’ “They’re playing with people’s lives in the walking with half baked, impure evidence. Tupac Shakur poses for a portrait during the 1994 Source Awards on April 25, 1994, at the Paramount Theatre in New York City Credit: Getty Shakur was shot four times during the fatal 1996 drive-by shooting Credit: AP “Let’s see what the jury decides. You’re playing with a person’s life. Look at the totality of the case, and the way that they conducted their investigation. “You’re gonna understand why I’m so frustrated with this, because, in essence, they didn’t drive to the level what I believe Metropolitan Police officer could do on a case. “Especially one of this calibre. Their product is half baked and impure. And it just falls far short of the standard of performance that they have as police officers.” Sanft’s aggressive push back against the prosecutors in court and motions have Davis optimistic for a potential acquittal. The defense attorney continued, “He’s looking forward to presenting his side on some level. And he is in good spirits as much as you can be when you’re in custody.” Sanft’s impassioned comments come weeks before jury selection is scheduled to begin in Davis’ trial on August 10. Both the prosecution and defense are aware that Shakur’s murder, troubled times and famous rivalries and friendships have been discussed for decades in the mainstream media. Over the last year, content linking between Davis and Sean “Diddy” Combs in media coverage has been significant. Davis told Los Angeles and Las Vegas Metro police that Combs allegedly offered him $1 million to kill Shakur during the height of the East Coast rap war. He also repeated those allegations in his memoir Compton Street Legend and in several podcast interviews. Sanft said, “In picking a jury, the number one promise that we expect from our jurors is that they will be fair and impartial to both the state, as well as Duan, e and that they will reserve theijudgmentnt until the close of the evidence on the case is then given to them. “The concern, obviously, is that if you walk in there with a preconceived notion then it’s going to be very difficult for you as a person to be that fair and impartial juror that both the state and Nevada and the defense would want. “I don’t think anybody, especially the defense, would begrudge someone walking in with preconceived notions. That’s just being human. “I have faith in our community in Las Vegas that we’re smarter than that. Davis appears in a Las Vegas court in October 2023 for his arraignment Credit: AFP The black sedan in which rapper Tupac Shakur was fatally shot near the Las Vegas Strip in September 1996 Credit: Getty – Contributor “That if we’re given a set of instructions, we will abide by the instructions, meaning you would only consider evidence that’s presented to you during the course of the trial, and nothing else. “That means no 50 Cent documentary, no other websites or podcasts out there, but you will only consider what’s given to you. You have to sort of trust that process.” Sanft added that he has spoken out on behalf of his client not to win over the public. “I’m always worried about some type of allegations that I’m trying to influence a jury pool. I don’t believe my answers did that. I’ve been very conscious about that. “I have an ethical duty to never try my case in the media prior to the jury being picked and sequestered. “But I’m extremely frustrated with the district attorney’s office. I’m extremely frustrated with the fact that this case was even charged. “They didn’t do their due diligence, and they’re expecting people to clean up their mess for them. “What they’re expecting is 12 people to come in and go, ‘Oh, you know what, Yeah, you may have fallen on this one, but we’re gonna help you up and lift you across the finish line.’ “No, no, no, no. That infuriates me, because they have a job to do. And their job is to investigate cases, make sure they have enough evidence to take someone, yank them out of their home in the middle of the night. “Tear up their entire house. And then throw that person in jail for three years. “You have a duty to make sure you’ve got your s**t together before you charge a case. There should never have been charges. “If they really done their job, he would not have been charged. They should have rolled their eyes at Keefe and been like, ‘Dude, seriously, why’d you even write that book? That’s dumb.’ “Ultimately, when you really look into the book itself and the details of it it’s not necessary crimnial. “It’s exercising your First Amendment right to free speech. Is it in good taste? Probably not. But once again, it’s exercising in his right to free speech.” Both sides will attend Davis’ next court hearing, which is scheduled for Tuesday.