Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former Los Angeles-area gang leader implicated in the 1996 killing of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, has chosen to retain private attorney Carl Arnold for his defense. Mr. Arnold, a seasoned criminal defense lawyer, expressed his office’s honor in representing Mr. Davis, foreseeing a historic murder trial.
Mr. Davis, 60, who dismissed court-appointed lawyers, is the sole surviving individual from the car involved in the September 1996 shooting that claimed Shakur’s life and injured rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. Mr. Knight is currently serving a 28-year sentence in a California prison for an unrelated 2015 shooting. Mr. Shakur was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting while riding in a car with Mr. Knight. The incident took place after attending a boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Despite being transported to the hospital, Mr. Shakur succumbed to his injuries six days later on Sept. 13, 1996.
Despite Mr. Davis having disclosed his role in Mr. Shakur’s killing over the years, his defense attorneys contend that his accounts may have been exaggerated for sensationalism and financial gain. Prosecutors claim Mr. Davis incriminated himself as the “shot-caller” during various instances, including statements to law enforcement task forces and media interviews.
Former Los Angeles police detective Greg Kading, now retired, was tasked with investigating the murder of Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls, in 2009. Mr. Davis, identified as a person of interest, was interviewed by Mr. Kading, having been present at the Peterson Automotive Museum party that Mr. Wallace had left just before being shot. Mr. Kading, instrumental in building a federal drug case against Mr. Davis, aimed to leverage this to facilitate cooperation with Los Angeles police, who had not made any arrests in the Mr. Wallace case. Mr. Davis, with immunity for statements made during the police interview, subsequently shared details of his involvement in Mr. Shakur’s case in various media outlets, including documentaries, podcasts, and a 2019 memoir titled “Compton Street Legend.” These revelations played a role in the renewed attention to the Las Vegas police investigation and culminated in Mr. Davis’ indictment by a grand jury.
Mr. Arnold asserted that Mr. Davis cannot be convicted solely based on his confession and emphasized the need for corroborating evidence to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Mr. Davis, indicted by a grand jury in Las Vegas, pleaded not guilty and remains in custody on $750,000 bail.
Mr. Arnold’s appointment as Mr.Davis’s attorney follows the dismissal of public defenders, and it remains unclear if the change will impact the scheduled trial date of June 3. Mr. Davis maintains that he received immunity in 2008 from an FBI and Los Angeles police task force investigating Mr. Shakur’s killing and the subsequent death of rival rapper Mr. Wallace. On March 9, 1997, in Los Angeles, Mr. Wallace was leaving a music industry party when an unknown assailant opened fire on his vehicle, resulting in fatal injuries. That case remains unsolved, and numerous theories have emerged over the years, attributing the shooting to various motives within the hip-hop community.
