The self-proclaimed Crips The “street star” accused of murdering hip-hop superstar Tupac Shakur in 1996 was denied immediate release to house arrest Tuesday after a judge expressed concern that the six-figure deposit securing his $750,000 bail was tied to a deal that required him to tell his story.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis has pleaded not guilty in the case. He appeared before Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny in Las Vegas and testified in person about the $112,500 he planned to use as non-refundable security deposit for his bail. He said the money came directly from music manager Cash “Wack100” Jones from a legitimate transaction, and claimed he had previously lied when he told his wife during a recorded jail visit two weeks ago that Jones was a “cover” for someone at a film company.
The source of the money is important because Judge Kierny has said it could not have come from a transaction in which Davis profited from talking about the drive-by shooting that led to Shakur’s death. “I have more questions than answers,” Judge Kierny said after the hour-long hearing. “I do not find that the defense has met its burden … to prove that the bail is not related to Mr. Davis ultimately talking about Mr. Shakur’s murder.” She said a final decision on the proposed bail source will be made after she reviews bank records provided by Jones.
Davis testified Tuesday that he was desperately trying to get out of prison on house arrest and electronic monitoring because his health was at risk and he needed to prepare for his upcoming trial, currently scheduled for early November. He pointed to his previous diagnosis of colon cancer and suggested his prognosis had worsened since his arrest last year.
“I have cancer and I only eat processed food here,” Davis said in court on Tuesday. “They don’t sell fruit, it’s just awful. Fake potatoes, fake milk, fake everything. That’s not good for a former cancer patient. And now I have it again.” He said he was referred to a cancer specialist for follow-up care after a scan at a Nevada hospital in May. He said the cancer doctor ordered follow-up tests and he is still waiting for those.
He said his health problems led him to lie to his wife when she expressed concern about Jones paying the deposit on his bail. “I would say anything to save my life.”
Prosecutors say Jones only paid out the $112,500 as part of a deal that will somehow exploit the story of Tupac’s death. To support their arguments, they played a phone call between Jones and Davis from prison during the hearing. “My thing is, screw the movie stuff, it takes too long. We’ll get to that later. Let’s do the show, you know what I mean?” Jones told Davis they could finish 10 episodes before Davis’ trial ends. “Let’s start with you as a youngster, you know, your teenage years. Show, you know, your rise.” He said the project could touch on Davis’ knowledge of everyone from his late nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, the suspected shooter in Shakur’s death, to Sean “Diddy” Combs, Christopher “Notorious BIG” Wallace and Death Row Records founder Suge Knight. “We have at least 30 (to) 40 episodes,” Jones said in the phone call. The recording played to the court ended with Jones asking Davis to “sign” something.
Jones appeared at the hearing via Zoom and testified that he was offering the $112,500 with no guarantee of a business relationship with Davis, only with the hope that they could work together after the trial. “Do you have anything in writing that says you will benefit from the release of Keffe D and his story?” Davis’ defense attorney Carl Arnold asked Jones. “No, I don’t,” Jones replied.
Prosecutors said Jones and Davis’ statements amounted to “fraud.” They pointed to the June 14 prison visit between Davis and his wife and played part of the recording to the court. “Cash (Jones) ain’t got no damn money to get me out,” Davis is heard telling his wife over the recorded line. “(It’s) the Jewish man who owns the damn movie company. Cash ain’t got no damn money to own a damn movie company. … They’re just using him as a front so it doesn’t look like they did it, you know what I mean?”
In his direct testimony in court, Davis claimed he lied to his wife because he thought she had to sign something related to his bail, and she didn’t trust Jones. “I just told her that so she could get the hell out of here and get away from me,” Davis testified. “I said (Jones) didn’t have that much money … just so she could sign the damn bail and leave like she is.”
Davis, 61, was living with his wife and son in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson when he was arrested last September. He is accused of orchestrating Shakur’s murder and supplying the .40 Glock that was also used to wound Knight in the shootout near the famous Las Vegas Strip.
In his 2019 memoir, Davis wrote about his rise through the ranks of the South Side Crips and confirmed the existence of a 2009 federal agreement he signed as part of an interstate drug case in Los Angeles. The agreement, which helped him in his drug case, allowed him to speak about his alleged role in Shakur’s shooting without his testimony being used against him. Prosecutors say his later statements about the shooting and his immunity agreement were admissible and highly incriminating.
Davis’ attorney Carl Arnold said his client only gave the interviews to earn money, so they were not credible for criminal proceedings. “He himself tells different stories,” Arnold told the Related Press after a hearing in April. The lawyer said prosecutors lacked evidence that Davis was even in Las Vegas at the time of Shakur’s shooting.
