Keefe D’s Tupac Memoir Is Now Evidence In His Murder Trial

A self-published memoir intended to be a definitive account of South Central street life is now a central piece of evidence in a Las Vegas courtroom. Duane 'Keefe D' Davis, the man accused of orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, will see his 2019 book, 'Compton Street Legend', used against him by the state.

The prosecution intends to use the book to place Davis directly at the scene of the crime. In the text, Davis describes himself sitting in the front passenger seat of the white Cadillac that pulled up alongside Tupac and Suge Knight near the Las Vegas Strip nearly three decades ago.

Admissions in Print

While Davis did not name the specific shooter in his writing, he admitted to acquiring the weapon used in the drive-by. He wrote that the gun was passed to the backseat, where his nephew Orlando Anderson and Deandrae Smith were positioned before the fatal shots were fired.

Clark County prosecutors argue that it does not matter if Davis pulled the trigger himself. Their theory is that he acted as the 'shot caller' who organized the hit as retaliation for an earlier brawl between Tupac and Anderson at the MGM Grand.

The Defense's Fable Argument

Defense attorney Michael Sanft attempted to block the book, arguing that the contents were embellished or fictionalized for the sake of profit. He suggested that the narrative was a product of the co-writer's imagination rather than a factual confession from Davis.

The judge was not convinced by the defense's strategy, noting that Davis had frequently promoted the book as the 'real truth.' By publicly encouraging readers to buy the memoir to learn the facts, the court ruled he had effectively adopted the statements as his own.

A Trail of Interviews

The memoir is not the only recorded evidence facing Davis. The court also cleared the use of a 2008 recorded interview where he spoke with investigators, despite his claims that those conversations were protected by a proffer agreement.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo previously noted that Davis might never have been charged if he hadn't chosen to tell his story so publicly. Jury selection for the trial officially began on August 10, marking a major turning point in hip-hop’s most famous cold case.