Ex-gang Leader Charged in Tupac Shakur Killing Due in Court in Las Vegas

Ex-gang Leader Charged in Tupac Shakur Killing Due in Court in Las Vegas
Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis appears for his arraignment at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 2, 2023. Ethan Miller/Pool Photo via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:

LAS VEGAS—Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with murder in the 1996 killing of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, is due back in court Tuesday.

Prosecutors and defense attorney Carl Arnold are expected to provide an update on the case following Clark County District Judge Carli Kierny’s ruling last month that Mr. Davis could be freed to house arrest on $750,000 bail ahead of his trial currently scheduled to start June 3.

But Judge Kierny said Mr. Davis first must demonstrate during what is known as a “source hearing” that his bail money was legally obtained before he can be released from custody. Judge Kierny on Tuesday could schedule the hearing if she is notified that Mr. Davis can afford to post bail.

A spokesperson for Mr. Arnold’s law firm declined comment Thursday on Mr. Arnold’s behalf.

Mr. Davis’ former lawyers argued that he should be freed from jail because he is in poor health after battling cancer. They also downplayed the credibility of former gang members as witnesses against Mr. Davis.

Mr. Davis, 60, is originally from Compton, California. He is the only person still alive who was in the car from which shots were fired in September 1996 at a traffic signal near the Las Vegas Strip, killing Shakur.

Mr. Davis was arrested in September outside his home in suburban Henderson. He pleaded not guilty in November to first-degree murder and has remained jailed at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.