Duane “Keefe D” Davis, a suspect in the murder of late Hip-Hop icon Tupac Shakur, is seeking a dismissal of all charges against him, citing the delayed prosecutorial process in his case.
According to ABC News, on Monday (Jan. 6), Davis’ attorney, Carl E.G. Arnold, filed a motion to dismiss the charges against his client, as he believes his client’s prolonged wait for a trial date violated his constitutional rights.
Arnold argues that the delay in the proceedings has resulted in the “dimming of memories, the death or disappearance of witnesses, and the loss or destruction of material physical evidence,” thus impacting the prosecution’s ability to prove their case against Davis. “Too many witnesses have died” or are in prison, claims Arnold.
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The attorney has also pointed to an alleged “proffer agreement” that Davis struck with a federal task force back in 2008, which Davis claims included a blanket of immunity in exchange for information about Shakur’s murder.
“The State of Nevada was in possession in 2009 of the facts that led to [Davis’] arrest in 2023,” Arnold said in reference to his client’s prior agreement with the feds. “Specifically, his alleged statement that he was in the white Cadillac and handed the gun to the back seat passengers, which was utilized to shoot Tupac Shakur.”
A booking photo of Duane “Keefe D” Davis is shown on a television monitor as Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill (L) and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jason Johansson speak during a news conference at the LVMPD headquarters to brief media members on Davis’ arrest and indictment for the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur on September 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A Nevada grand jury indicted Davis on one count of murder with a deadly weapon in the fatal drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur.
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Davis’ legal counsel insists that a dismissal of all charges against his client is in accordance with the “initial proffer agreement,” which must be honored, thus nullifying any attempt to prosecute Davis in relation to Shakur’s murder.
A hearing regarding Davis’ motion for dismissal is scheduled for Jan. 21. If that motion is denied, the trial against Davis, which is set to begin March 17, will move forward.
Davis was arrested in Las Vegas in 2023 for his alleged involvement in the 1996 drive-by shooting of Shakur, which ultimately resulted in the hitmaker’s death several days later.
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While Davis’ late nephew, Orlando Anderson, is widely believed to be the gunman responsible for 2Pac‘s murder, Davis has admitted in several interviews, as well as his own memoir, to being present in the vehicle with Anderson at the time of the shooting.
He has also claimed to have provided Anderson with the firearm used in the shooting of Shakur, which was spurred by Shakur and several Death Row associates physically assaulting Anderson earlier that evening following a Mike Tyson bout at the MGM Grand.
Davis has pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he is expected to spend the rest of his natural life in prison.
A booking photo of Duane “Keefe D” Davis, photographed off of a television monitor, is shown during a news conference at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department headquarters held to brief media members on Davis’ arrest and indictment for the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur on September 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A Nevada grand jury indicted Davis on one count of murder with a deadly weapon in the fatal drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur.
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