Tupac’s Alleged Killer Keefe D Brags About Tupac Killing Inside Prison

Prosecutors told a court this month they intend to seek admission of jailhouse phone calls in the murder case against Duane "Keefe D" Davis in which he allegedly discussed his role in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, a report said Thursday.

The New York Post first reported that the tapes capture Davis talking about the Las Vegas drive-by shooting while he was jailed. Prosecutors are expected to argue the recordings are admissions by a party and therefore admissible at trial, according to the report. The Clark County prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Davis, 60, was arrested in 2023 and charged with murder with a deadly weapon in the death of the influential rapper. Tupac Shakur was shot Sept. 7, 1996, while riding in a car with Marion "Suge" Knight; he died six days later. The case has drawn renewed attention since Davis's arrest and the reexamination of long-standing claims and interviews about the shooting.

The trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 10 in Las Vegas, and a pretrial hearing is set for June 30. Prosecutors have said they will present evidence they say links Davis to the planning and execution of the drive-by shooting. The outlet report says the jail calls are among the items prosecutors hope to use.

Davis has pleaded not guilty. Over the years, he has given multiple interviews and publicly discussed details of the case; he also has published a memoir. In recent court statements, Davis has at times characterized his public remarks as efforts to seek "fame and fortune," the report said. The source quoted by the publication said Davis believed talking about the case was protected by his First Amendment rights.

According to HotNewHipHop, defense attorney Michael Sanft told reporters he expects the state will struggle to meet the burden of proof if it relies on the disputed recordings. "When the state of Nevada has to rely on that kind of information to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, they've got a huge problem," Sanft said. "They'll listen to the phone calls, but it's sort of like, 'Nah, we don't care. We don't need them.'"

Legal experts say admissibility of jail calls often hinges on how closely the statements can be tied to the defendant and whether they fall within exceptions to hearsay rules. Clark County prosecutors have not filed a public brief explaining their planned evidentiary theory, and court filings related to the proposed evidence are expected to be addressed at upcoming hearings.

As the summer trial date approaches, both sides are expected to file motions challenging evidence and witness testimony. The proceedings will revisit one of the most enduring mysteries in modern music history and determine whether long-circulating accounts will be allowed before a jury.

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