Las Vegas attorneys are asking a court to exclude evidence seized during a nighttime search tied to the 1996 murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, arguing the warrant was issued on a misleading portrayal of Duane “Keffe D” Davis.
Motion to Suppress Evidence
Attorneys Robert Draskovich and William Brown filed a motion this week on behalf of their client, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who was charged in the drive-by shooting of the iconic rapper off the Las Vegas Strip. They argue that a judge relied on a “misleading portrait” of Davis as a dangerous drug dealer to authorize the nighttime search, which should only be done in exceptional circumstances. The motion states:
> “The court wasn’t told any of this,” and “As a result, the court authorized a nighttime search based on a portrait of Davis that bore little resemblance to reality – a clearly erroneous factual determination, in other words.”
Background on Duane “Keffe D” Davis
Davis is a 60-year-old retired cancer survivor who left the narcotics trade in 2008 and began doing inspection work for oil refineries. He had lived with his wife in Henderson, a city outside Las Vegas, for nine years at the time the warrant was executed, and he has adult children and grandchildren. His attorneys emphasize that he is not a drug dealer.
Police Actions and Evidence
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which conducted the search, collected Davis’ electronic devices, “purported marijuana” and tubs of photographs. The department declined to comment Friday, citing pending litigation. Police said that executing the warrant under the cover of darkness would allow officers to surround and secure the residence, and that if Davis barricaded himself, the darkness would allow officers to evacuate the surrounding homes with the least exposure to residents.
Arrest and Charges
Davis was arrested in September 2023. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and has sought release since shortly after his arrest. His attorneys claim his arrest stems from false public statements in which he claimed to be present in the white Cadillac from which Shakur was shot. They say he never offered details that would firmly corroborate his presence and that he benefited from saying he was present. He dodged drug charges by telling the story in a proffer agreement, and he has made money by repeating it in documentaries and his 2019 book, according to his attorneys.
He sought to dismiss his murder charges in the Nevada Supreme Court, but in November his petition was denied. The attorneys wrote:
> “Think of it this way: Shakur’s murder was essentially the entertainment world’s JFK assassination – endlessly dissected, mythologized, monetized – so it’s not hard to see why someone in Davis’s position might falsely place himself at the center of it all for personal gain.”
Key Takeaways
- Attorneys argue the nighttime search warrant was based on a misleading portrait of Duane “Keffe D” Davis.
- Police collected electronic devices, purported marijuana, and photographs during the search.
- Davis’s arrest is tied to false statements about his presence in the white Cadillac involved in the Tupac Shakur shooting.
Las Vegas attorneys continue to push for suppression of evidence, challenging the legality of the nighttime search and the portrayal of their client.
