Tupac Murder Twist: Defense Calls Police Raid 'Bad Faith; in Keefe D Case, Moves to Toss Evidence

Duane "Keefe D" Davis, the suspect in the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, is pursuing a court bid to suppress evidence that he alleges was obtained as a result of an illegal search, according to court documents and reports.

Davis's trial for murder has already been postponed and is now based on accusations that he was the one responsible for orchestrating the fatal shooting of Shakur in a drive-by in Las Vegas. Though Davis's case has gained public attention in recent years, he has actually pleaded and been charged with innocence.

As reported by HotNewHipHop, Davis' lawyers have filed a motion on Monday, Dec. 22, to suppress evidence that was recovered from a nighttime raid conducted in his home in Henderson, Nevada, in July 2023. The reasons behind this motion are that the search warrant was not in compliance with Nevada law, especially in regard to conducting searches during night hours.

In the court motion, Davis is represented by his legal team, who argue the points of the objection in the search. Within a legal filing presented to the court in Clark County District Court, the motion is quoted, "When officers obtain nighttime authorization through bad faith, courts agree suppression is appropriate."

Also, within the same legal filing, it is alleged, "bad faith is evident from the face of the affidavit supporting the search warrant"

The defense further continued by challenging the way Davis was presented to the court at the time when the warrant was issued. On this matter, the motion continues, "First, the court unwittingly relied on a misleading portrait of Davis as a dangerous drug dealer. When in fact, his drug convictions were [25] years old. He was a [60]-year-old retired cancer survivor that had lived quietly in the same Henderson home for nearly a decade."

The pleading also disputes the rational for searching under the cover of darkness. Regarding this matter, it is argued that as regards nighttime searches, "The court overlooked the case-specific urgency or safety concerns that Nevada law requires as a basis for nighttime searches, opting instead for generalized safety justifications that could be asserted for a search of virtually any residence."

Earlier, the prosecutors had justified the strength of their case. This was responded to by the Las Vegas District Attorney, Steve Wolfson, at a press conference. He focused on the gravity of the charges. Talking of the evidence available in the case, Wolfson said, "This is an important case."

He added, "What we wanted to do was make sure we get it right. We wanted to make sure we had legally admissible evidence. We wanted to make sure that we felt comfortable that we had sufficient legal evidence."

Wolfson also stressed the legal standards needed for these charges to be filed. "If you're going to charge a person with murder, he has a right to believe that the system would only bring charges if there was sufficient legal evidence."

Davis is concurrently serving another prison term for fighting another inmate while awaiting trial. Davis' trial for murder is set to begin in August 2026.

Duane "Keefe D" Davis, charged in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, has replaced his legal team months before trial and is teasing major announcements from his new attorneys, according to ABC News.

Davis, who has pleaded not guilty and is jailed without bail, previously told ABC News he is innocent, saying he never killed anyone. His murder trial is currently scheduled for February 2026.