Keffe D seeks to suppress evidence of Tupac Shakur shooting

Lawyers for man accused of murdering rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996, they pushed to suppress the evidence. Lawyers for Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis claim law enforcement obtained their evidence through an “illegal nighttime search.”

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Keffe D responds to searches that led to his arrest

Las Vegas Criminal Defense Lawyers Robert Draskovich And William Brown filed a motion this week on behalf of their client, Keffe D. He was charged in the drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur off the Las Vegas Strip.

Keffe’s lawyers say a judge relied on a “misleading portrayal” of Davis as a dangerous drug dealer to grant execution of a nighttime search warrant. Night searches should only be carried out in exceptional circumstances. An example: if there is a risk that evidence will disappear if officers wait until morning.

When the search warrant was executed, Keffe D was long removed from life on the streets, according to his attorneys. In reality, Duane Davis left the narcotics business in 2008 and began doing inspection work at oil refineries, according to his lawyers. He was a 60-year-old retired cancer survivor with adult children and grandchildren. Additionally, he lived with his wife in Henderson, a town outside of Las Vegas.

“The court was not informed of any of this,” his lawyers wrote in the motion. “As a result, the court authorized a nighttime search based on a portrait of Davis that bore little resemblance to reality – in other words, a clearly erroneous factual determination.”

The police department refuses to comment on the motion

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducted the search and collected Duane Davis’ electronic devices, “alleged marijuana” and photo jars. He declined to comment Friday, citing ongoing litigation.

At the time of the search, police said executing the warrant in the dark would allow officers to surround and secure the residence. They also argued that if Davis barricaded himself, the darkness would allow officers to evacuate surrounding homes with as little exposure to residents as possible. Police arrested Keffe D in September 2023.

Lawyers say there is no evidence Davis was in a white Cadillac

Duane Davis pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and asked to be released shortly after his arrest. His lawyers say Davis’ arrest stemmed from false public statements Davis had made. In these statements, Keffe D claimed to be present in the white Cadillac that shot Tupac Shakur. They say he never provided details that would firmly corroborate his presence in the car. Additionally, they said he took advantage of pretending to be present.

“Think of it this way: Shakur’s murder was essentially the entertainment world’s JFK assassination — endlessly dissected, mythologized, monetized — so it’s not hard to understand why someone in Davis’ position might falsely place himself at the center of it all for personal gain,” his lawyers wrote.

Keffe D dodged drug charges by telling the story as part of a submission deal. Additionally, he made money repeating it in documentaries and in his 2019 book, according to his lawyers. He sought to dismiss his murder charges in the Nevada Supreme Court, but in November his petition was denied.

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Associated Press writer Jessica Hill contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.