LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A judge has granted the man accused in the murder of Tupac Shakur the services of a private investigator after he said he has no assets to his name, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 61, faces a murder charge for allegedly orchestrating the rapper’s 1996 murder. Police arrested him in September 2023 following grand jury indictment.
Davis has publicly said he was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, which pulled up side-by-side with Shakur’s, before the shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. Marion “Suge” Knight, the then-head of Death Row Records, was driving the car with Shakur sitting in the passenger seat. Knight was injured in the shooting. Shakur died from his injuries several days later.
In court Tuesday, Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny declined to dismiss Davis’ case over arguments from his attorney that he received immunity protection. She also noted there was no advantage for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office to have waited 27 years to prosecute their case.
In a separate court filing, Kierny granted Davis 100 hours of private investigative work from an outside company. A 1998 lawsuit requires courts to pay “for services of an indigent defendant who has retained counsel was proper as long as defendant demonstrates his [or] her indigence and a reasonable need for the services in question,” documents said.
Ultimately, taxpayers foot the bill, which would add up to $5,500 should Davis use the allotted 100 hours.
“There are many significant issues that need to be investigated to effectively represent Mr. Davis,” his attorney said in the request.
Davis moved to Clark County in 2013, documents said. He does not list any income, assets, or monthly debts.
Last year, Kierny declined to release Davis on $750,000 bail over concerns payments covering his bond from another man were advances for interviews and entertainment projects. Davis’ family then set up an online fundraiser.
Davis and his son have been vocal in court about their beliefs regarding the senior Davis’ rights. His attorney previously told the 8 News Now Investigators to not trust his client.
Davis’ trial was scheduled to begin in March. Kierny scheduled a Feb. 11 hearing to determine if that date would stick.
Davis refers to himself as “Keffe D” not “Keefe” as it appears on the website, though he is sometimes referred to as “Keefe D” or “Keefy D.” Prosecutors spell his name as “Keffe D.”
