Judge Allows Duane Davis to Post $750K Bond as Murder Trial Nears

A Clark County judge has permitted Duane “Keffe D” Davis to post a $750,000 bond while his murder trial for the 1996 shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur proceeds. The decision came after defense attorney Michael Sanft requested a postponement to arrange the bond, which prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo contested, asserting that bail can be posted at any stage. The trial, scheduled to begin Monday, is expected to run four to five weeks, with Davis maintaining a not-guilty plea.

A key dispute centers on a 2008 proffer Davis made to Los Angeles law enforcement; prosecutors want the jury to hear it, while the defense argues it was given under immunity and should be excluded. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal differentiated the case from the Bill Cosby matter, emphasizing that Davis’s statements have been consistent in his book, a documentary, and prior interviews. Earlier rulings have allowed jurors to hear about Davis’s role as a Compton Crips shot caller, detailed in his 2019 memoir. The case has been marked by numerous procedural fights since Davis’s 2023 arrest and a prior misdemeanor conviction for a jailhouse fight.