Suspect in Tupac Shakur killing seeks to delay trial as defence identifies new witnesses

Duane "Keffe D" Davis appears in court for a hearing on a motion to dismiss charges for his involvement in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, Jan. 21, 2025 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Pool Photo via AP, File)

LAS VEGAS — Attorneys for the man suspected of killing rap icon Tupac Shakur want to delay next month’s trial, saying more time is needed for investigative work to ensure that Duane “Keffe D” Davis gets a fair trial.

The motion filed Friday in a Nevada court provides insight into Davis' defence, noting that a private investigator has identified witnesses who can testify that he was not at the scene of the 1996 shooting, nor was he in Las Vegas at the time.

The motion also suggests that someone else may have orchestrated the shooting and that witnesses who could testify on the matter are being interviewed.

The defence team said in a statement that the new developments and the need to interview key witnesses necessitate a delay. A hearing was scheduled Tuesday to discuss the timing of the trial, currently set to begin in March.

“This case involves decades-old allegations, and with every new piece of evidence, it becomes increasingly clear that critical facts have yet to be fully examined,” said attorney Carl Arnold, who is leading Davis' defence.

On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in a BMW being driven by Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight. They were waiting at a red light when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and gunfire erupted.

Davis, an ex-gang leader who is accused of orchestrating Shakur’s killing near the Las Vegas Strip, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and has been jailed since his September 2023 arrest.

Long known to investigators as one of four suspects identified early in the investigation, he is the only one to be charged.

Arnold has argued that Davis never should have been charged because of immunity agreements that Davis says he reached years ago with federal and local prosecutors while living in California.

Prosecutors have said any immunity agreement was limited and they have strong evidence against Davis, including his own accounts of the shooting in the tell-all memoir “Compton Street Legend.”

Davis has acknowledged in interviews and in the memoir that he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting and that he was in the car. But his court filings say his descriptions in recent years of orchestrating the drive-by shooting were “done for entertainment purposes and to make money.”

Defence attorneys also say they have witness information indicating that Shakur was in stable condition after the shooting and that he died suddenly after being hospitalized for a week. They were consulting medical and forensic experts to evaluate potential alternative causes of death.