Suspect in 1996 Tupac Shakur Case Moves to Block Key Evidence

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The attorneys for the man accused of killing rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 are pushing to suppress evidence obtained in what they claim was an âunlawful nighttime search”.

Davis’s attorneys argue that a judge relied on a âmisleading portraitâ of Davis as a dangerous drug dealer to grant the execution of a search warrant at night, which should only be done in exceptional circumstances, such as if thereâs a risk that evidence will disappear if officers wait until morning.

Duane "Keffe D" Davis is accused of murder in the killing of hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur — Duane “Keffe D” Davis is accused of murder in the killing of hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. (AP)

In reality, Davis, an ex-gang leader from Southern California, had left the narcotics trade in 2008 and began doing inspection work for oil refineries, his attorneys say.

A 60-year-old retired cancer survivor, who had been living in Henderson, near Las Vegas, for nearly a decade, was caught off guard when a warrant was executed. He resided there with his wife, surrounded by his adult children and grandchildren.

“The court was not informed of any of this,” his legal team stated in a recent motion.

Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. (AP)

“This led to the court approving a nighttime search based on a misleading portrayal of Davis that was far from the truth—a clear factual error,” the attorneys argued.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department â which conducted the search and collected Davis’ electronic devices, âpurported marijuanaâ and tubs of photographs â declined to comment Friday, citing the pending litigation.

At the time of the search, police said executing the warrant under the cover of darkness would allow officers to surround and secure the residence, and that if Davis barricaded himself, the darkness would allow officers to evacuate the surrounding homes with the least exposure to residents.

Davis was arrested in September 2023. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and sought to be released shortly after his arrest.

The attorneys for the man accused of killing rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 are pushing to suppress evidence obtained. (CNN)

His legal representatives contend that Davis’s arrest is a result of misleading public comments he made, claiming he was in the white Cadillac involved in the shooting of Tupac Shakur.

According to his attorneys, he has never provided concrete evidence to support his claim of being in the vehicle, yet he has gained from making such statements.

They assert that he avoided drug-related charges by sharing his story as part of a plea agreement and subsequently profited from it through documentaries and his 2019 book.

âThink of it this way: Shakurâs murder was essentially the entertainment worldâs JFK assassination â endlessly dissected, mythologised, monetised”

“So itâs not hard to see why someone in Davisâs position might falsely place himself at the centre of it all for personal gain,â his attorneys wrote.