Less than two weeks before jury selection is scheduled to begin, the defense team representing Duane “Keefe D” Davis is making its strongest public argument yet in the Tupac Shakur murder case. They claim prosecutors never had enough evidence to bring charges and are pushing for the case to be dismissed completely.
Davis’ attorney, Mike Sanft, argues that the Clark County District Attorney’s Office relied on evidence that does not meet the legal standard required to pursue a murder prosecution. Speaking to The U.S. Sun, Sanft said anything short of a dismissal would be unacceptable and claimed prosecutors should issue his client a written apology for charging him.
“If they really done their job, he would not have been charged,” Sanft said, criticizing both the prosecution and investigators involved in the decades-old case.
Davis, 63, was arrested in September 2023 and charged in connection with the 1996 Las Vegas drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur. Prosecutors have accused the former Compton gang figure of being the alleged mastermind behind the killing. However, Davis has since denied the allegations despite making previous public statements in which he appeared to position himself as a key figure in the case.
For years, Davis has spoken about the killing in interviews, his memoir Compton Street Legend, and discussions with law enforcement. His defense team now argues that those statements were fabricated, claiming they were exaggerated stories created for attention, publicity, and financial gain rather than actual confessions of wrongdoing. Sanft maintains that his client was exercising his First Amendment rights, even if some of the comments were, as he described them, “not in good taste.”
Recent reports suggested that prosecutors may have offered Davis a plea deal that could have lowered his potential prison sentence, but Sanft denied that any such offer was made. He also stated that he would advise Davis not to accept any deal unless it resulted in the case being fully dismissed.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has previously said the state plans to seek life in prison if Davis is convicted, rather than pursue the death penalty. As the trial draws closer, jury selection is expected to bring its own difficulties. The case remains one of Hip Hop’s most closely followed criminal investigations nearly 30 years after Shakur’s death, with public interest fueled by documentaries, books, podcasts, and extensive media coverage.
“In picking a jury, the number one promise that we expect from our jurors is that they will be fair and impartial to both the state, as well as Duane, and that they will reserve their judgment until the close of the evidence on the case is then given to them,” Sanft said. “I have an ethical duty to never try my case in the media prior to the jury being picked and sequestered.”
Davis’ previous statements have also contributed to years of speculation surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs. Davis has claimed that Combs offered him $1 million to kill Shakur during the peak of the East Coast-West Coast feud. Combs has repeatedly denied those allegations, and Sanft did not address their validity while speaking about the upcoming trial.
Meanwhile, jury selection is set to begin on August 10. Davis is expected to remain off the witness stand, with his defense team instead focusing on challenging the prosecution’s evidence. They plan to argue that investigators placed too much reliance on statements that they now claim were false and unreliable.
