Tupac's Murder Suspect Claims Comments On Rapper's Death Were For 'Entertainment'

Duane "Keefe D" Davis, charged with Tupac Shakur's murder 27 years ago, has been denied bail. His lawyers argued for release in a recent motion, citing the lack of clear evidence against him, and requested reasonable bail not exceeding $100,000.

The lawyers argued prosecutors shouldn't be relying on Davis's memoir -- as it was purely "entertainment." Also, they emphasized Marion "Suge" Knight's denial of Davis' involvement.

Health concerns and dietary issues in jail were also raised. The defense questioned the absence of Knight's testimony and dismissed other witnesses' accounts as speculative, seeking Davis's release on house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Duane “Keefe D” Davis, who was arrested and charged with the murder of Tupac Shakur 27 years ago, has been denied bail. Per KTNV Las Vegas, Davis’ lawyers recently filed a motion seeking his release before the June 3 trial date and requested a “reasonable bail” from the court.

The motion which argues against denying bail, emphasizing the lack of clear evidence proving Davis guilty, read: “Duane should not be denied bail in this case. It cannot be said that the proof is evident and the presumption great that Duane is guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Shakur.” “This Court should release Duane on house arrest with electronic monitoring pending trial,” it continued, per Rolling Stone.

The 60-year-old’s legal team includes special public defenders Robert Arroyo and Charles Cano suggesting a reasonable bail not exceeding $100,000 due to an “astounding amount of hearsay and speculative testimony” during grand jury proceedings.

During the proceedings, Davis’ attorneys also contested the state's reliance on his 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” dismissing its content as mere "entertainment."

They argued that “The truthfulness of the content of the interviews was never verified,” and  “The book and interviews were done for entertainment purposes and to make money from a situation that Kading and others had already profited from.”

The memoir significantly implicated Davis in the Las Vegas shooting, an investigation spanning almost three decades. The defense stressed Davis' transition from his previous lifestyle and has now been residing in Henderson for ten years.

Addressing health concerns, Davis's lawyers added; “He is not getting his bi-monthly oncologist check-ups. Additionally, his heart health has declined. He was put back on a group of medications to try to get things under control.”

They added: “He has to take these medications in jail because he is unable to do the things necessary to maintain proper health. His diet in jail is terrible. He is given heavily processed meals full of sodium that barely pass as food.”

In a 33-page document obtained by The U.S. Sun, Davis’ lawyers argued that his discussions about the shooting were for entertainment and to counter others profiting from the case.

Emphasizing that Marion "Suge" Knight, the surviving victim, could attest to his innocence, the application read: "The most compelling evidence that Duane was not involved in the murder of Tupac comes from the mouth of the surviving victim and only living eyewitness, Marion 'Suge' Knight.”

Referring to an interview with TMZ, Knight who is currently incarcerated in a California prison, was quoted denying Davis's involvement: "It wasn’t Anderson, that’s all I have to say about that." Davis’s lawyers presented this as compelling evidence supporting his non-involvement in Shakur's murder.

In their bail application for Davis, his lawyers contended that Knight, “despite being the only living eyewitness, and a surviving victim, the State did not have Knight testify before the Grand Jury.”

"Knight’s public statements have refuted Duane’s alleged version of events as recited in the book Compton Street Legend and in the YouTube interviews,” they added.

The lawyers argued that “Knight and Duane grew up playing football together in Compton,” and their childhood connection and Knight's familiarity with Davis would have allowed identification if Keefe's story in the book were true.

"They’ve known each other for approximately fifty years. If Duane’s story in the book was true; that he and Knight locked eyes before Shakur was shot, Knight would have been able to identify Duane and Anderson,” they argued.

They questioned the absence of Knight's testimony before the Grand Jury and dismissed other witnesses' accounts as speculative.