Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the only suspect ever to be charged in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, has lost a bid to have his murder case dismissed.
A Nevada judge ruled Tuesday that there is no that there was an immunity deal set in place years ago by federal and local authorities for the former Los Angeles gang leader, whose attorney Carl Arnold also argued the charges are an “egregious” violation of his rights because of a 27-year delay in prosecution.
Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny declined to dismiss the case, and also noted there was no advantage for the District Attorney’s Office to have waited 27 years to prosecute their case.
Davis, who remains in the Clark County Detention Center with a $750,000 bail, was arrested in Sept. 2023 outside of his Las Vegas-area residence in connection to the “California Love” rapper’s murder at age 25.
Prosecutors allege Davis, who hails from Compton, was involved in plotting Shakur’s death, and that he was in the Cadillac from which the fatal shots were fired. The three other suspects who were in the vehicle are now dead.
While Davis, 61, is not accused of being the shooter, prosecutors claim he ordered the hit. He has pleaded not guilty.
In December 2023, public defenders for the murder suspect cited poor health in a request for lower bail and house arrest while he awaits trial, which has been set to begin June of the next year.
Following Tuesday’s hearing, Arnold said he was not surprised at the judge’s ruling and is considering whether to appeal the decision with the Nevada Supreme Court, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“You’re not just going to dismiss the biggest case in the U.S. right off the bat,” Arnold said. “But you have to put these issues out for an appellate court.”
Judge Kierny scheduled a Feb. 11 hearing to determine if the March timetable for trial is still viable.
