LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Lawyers for Duane "Keefe D" Davis are asking a Las Vegas judge to release him from jail while he awaits trial. He's facing murder charges in connection with the death of rap icon Tupac Shakur.
RELATED LINK: Tupac Shakur's family: 'Timing of arrest is curious'
Shakur was killed in September 1996. Investigators claimed the shooting was retaliation after Shakur and members of his entourage attacked Davis' nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand casino earlier that night. In September, law enforcement officials raided Davis' Henderson home, and grand jury documents later revealed investigators took photographs, photo albums, magazines, and numerous clippings of Shakur's murder, dating back to 1996.
On Thursday, Davis' lawyers filed a motion stating Davis should be released on his own recognizance pending trial. If that isn't possible, they requested the court set a "reasonable bail" that won't be more than $100,000. Davis has been denied bail ever since he was arrested in September.
"Duane should not be denied bail in this case. It cannot be said that the proof is evident and the presumption great that Duane is guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Shakur," the motion reads in part. "This Court should release Duane on house arrest with electronic monitoring pending trial."
There are several reasons for the request. According to the motion, Davis' lawyers said an "astounding amount of hearsay and speculative testimony" was presented during grand jury proceedings.
RELATED LINK: Duane 'Keefe D' Davis indicted on murder charges in 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur
For example, they claim the state "relied on excerpts from a book titled Compton Street Legend, which was allegedly written by Duane Davis and Yusuf Jah. The State did not delineate which parts of the book, if any, were written by Duane." They also brought up YouTube clips where Davis said Anderson was the shooter from the Cadillac, "which was the widely-held public belief."
"The truthfulness of the content of the interviews was never verified," one passage reads. "The book and interviews were done for entertainment purposes and to make money from a situation that [LAPD officers] and others had already profited [from]".
Davis' lawyers stated his health is suffering due to his time at the Clark County Detention Center.
"He is not getting his bi-monthly oncologist check-ups. Additionally, his heart health has declined. He was put back on a group of medications to try to get things under control," Davis' lawyers stated. "He has to take these medications in jail because he is unable to do the things necessary to maintain proper health. His diet in jail is terrible. He is given heavily processed meals full of sodium that barely pass as food."
They also state he has proven that he has "moved on from his old lifestyle" and settled in Henderson, where he has lived for 10 years and is "well regarded in his neighborhood."
Davis has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, and his next court date is scheduled for Jan. 2, 2024.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson previously told Channel 13 that Davis would not face the death penalty but could still be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
