Tupac murder suspect to stay behind bars, trial pushed to next year

Despite his multiple attempts to get out of jail, the only man ever accused of the murder of Tupac Shakur will stay behind bars as he awaits his trial, the Vegas judge overseeing his case ruled Tuesday.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been trying to bail out of jail to house arrest for months, after being taken into custody last September. So far, he and his lawyer have failed to convince the court that the bail money isn’t from sketchy provenance and isn’t actually a covert media deal trading on Davis’ alleged involvement in the rapper’s killing.

“I still have a lot of concerns about what has been sent to me,” Judge Carli Kierny said at Tuesday’s hearing. “Ultimately, I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything, but I have a sense that things are trying to be covered up.”

Davis was arrested on Sept. 29, 2023, and charged with murder in the 1996 drive-by killing of Shakur off the Vegas Strip; it has long been one of the most celebrated cold cases in modern American history. Davis has pleaded not guilty. A self-admitted onetime Crips gangbanger, Davis’ own words copping to his “shot caller” role in Shakur’s murder have been crucial in the case that put him in jail – and now, a critical part of the reason for keeping him there, according to ABC News. 

He will remain in the Clark County jail in Las Vegas, though his attorney may later appeal the bail ruling. He also requested – and was granted – a continuance for the trial’s start. It is now set for March 17, 2025.

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