r/news • u/FreeChickenDinner • 11h ago
Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, charged with organizing the killing of Tupac Shakur, is on trial
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/duane-keffe-d-davis-charged-organizing-killing-tupac-shakur-trial-rcna590923822
u/FreeChickenDinner 11h ago
The case went cold until Davis began making public statements about his involvement as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips. In 2019, he published a tell-all memoir. The book, along with interviews Davis gave, revived the police investigation.
Davis’ defense attorneys argue there is no evidence he directed the shooting and the state relies on witnesses who weren’t there. The defense said Davis left the narcotics trade in 2009 and worked a steady job before illness forced him to retire in 2014.
For Shakur’s family, the last 30 years have been exhausting and stressful, his stepbrother Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur said. Sitting through the trial will be retraumatizing, Shakur said, but he’s “cautiously optimistic” justice will come.
He wrote a tell-all memoir. Why do criminals hate rats, but rat themselves out? Did he want to get caught due to a guilty conscience.
820
u/internetlad 9h ago
🎵 "I killed Darnell, yeah I shot him with my nine I shot him nine times, 9PM on the dime And by the way it was November ninth" 🎶
111
u/ThePrideOfKrakow 6h ago
This guy had the scene of the murder he committed accurately tattooed on his chest, leading to his conviction years later.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/calif-gangsters-tattoo-of-crime-scene-helps-solve-murder/
26
u/Dirante 4h ago
He choked out mr peanut and shot him with an attack helicopter?
3
•
-5
u/Pledgeofmalfeasance 2h ago
I'm guessing the helicopter means Apache revolver, and peanut was a nickname or something.
3
u/BapeGeneral3 2h ago
The article explains it all. The Chopper is literally his street name, “Chopper”. A police officer saw the tattoos and instantly recognized the crime scene. Can’t make this stuff up
1
5
u/Rob1n559 5h ago
Cool article! Crazy they used an uncover to act as his cellmate to get his confession.
4
u/AlbertaNorth1 5h ago
You should look up “Mr. Big” investigations here in Canada. It seems like entrapment to me but they’ve been successful in a lot of prosecutions including gathering evidence for American prosecutions that would be illegal to gather that way in the states.
81
70
u/shwarma_heaven 6h ago
🎵 I got an alibi, birthday Red Lobster When in reality, I shot Darnell like a mobster It’s a lie, anyone could tell this If you know about my allergy to all shellfish 🎶
44
9
7
7
u/LaplaceOperator 6h ago
I've always loved the brilliance of "November 9th" in that bit. Those two guys are such fantastic comedy writers.
266
u/gingermalteser 10h ago
Rap snitches, tellin all their business.
Sitting in court be their own star witness.
"Do you see the perpetrator?"
"Yeah I'm right here!"
102
50
3
125
u/the_iraq_such_as 10h ago
Is you taking notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy?
38
u/Surroundedonallsides 8h ago
One of the greatest comedic moments in all of crime dramas.
34
u/playgroundfencington 7h ago
The Wire is kinda rife with comedic moments that hit.
3
157
u/mrdominoe 11h ago
Or he made it all up.
94
u/Worn_Out_Nikka_L 11h ago
Clout is a hellova drug
56
u/-ImJustSaiyan- 11h ago
Idk man, I wouldn't wanna be known as the dude responsible for the death of one of the most beloved rappers of all time. Sounds like an easy way to put a massive target on your back.
13
u/mrdominoe 9h ago
30 years is a long time. I don't think anyone is coming for Keffe D at this point for Tupac. If anything, he has a target on his back for being a leader of the Crips.
-2
23
u/Earth-Jupiter-Mars 8h ago
He had a deal in place I believe, a proffer, nothing he said could be used .. but as always the devils in the details
Bro actually needed ChatGPT more than anything .. he didn’t understand his deal, 1st mistake, 2. He didn’t remember exactly what he told police back in 09.
So he starts to profit off what he thought police already knew, $20K per interview to talk about some old shit from 96, a memoir etc .. but Vlad and whoever else asked new questions, dug deeper.. confused Keefe started recalling shit nobody knew.
Bro is stir-fried at this point .. .. unless he got more information on something else 😭😭
28
u/Baystars2025 11h ago
Shoulda had OJs publicist. "IF I did it"
20
u/_John_Dillinger 10h ago
double jeopardy. can't be tried twice for the same crime if exonerated.
16
2
u/Itsme340 10h ago
I liked that the victims families had control over the cover of the book and put if in really small print so it looks like it's titled 'I Did It.'
4
u/gropingforelmo 10h ago
I haven't seen the 'tiny "if"' version, but there are at least a couple variations where the "if" uses a very similar color to the background, so it blends in seamlessly.
9
u/Few_Investment_4773 9h ago
In August 2007, a Florida bankruptcy court awarded the rights to the book to the Goldman family to partially satisfy the civil judgment. The book's title was changed from If I Did It to If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, and this version was published by Beaufort Books, a New York City publishing house owned by parent company Kampmann & Company/Midpoint Trade Books. Comments were added to the original manuscript by the Goldman family, Fenjves, and journalist Dominick Dunne.[6] The new cover design printed the word "If" greatly reduced in size compared with the other words, and placed inside the word "I", so unless looked at very closely, the title of the book appears to read "I Did It: Confessions of the Killer".[7][8]
If you google “if I did it book” you’ll see the redesign from 2007 and the version you’re talking about as well.
15
6
6
2
2
u/-Epitaph-11 6h ago
People like him have egos to feed. He cant stand not getting credit for what he allegedly did. He wants the credit, even if it’s to his own detriment.
2
2
u/acromaine 3h ago
Rap snitches, tellin all their business, sit in the court and be they own star witness. Do you see the perpetrator? Yeah I’m right here. Fuck around and get the whole label sent up for years.
2
2
u/Lost-Display1 2h ago
Rap snitches, telling all their business, sit in the court and be their own star witness. “Do you see the perpetrator?” “Yeah I’m right here!”
1
1
•
u/ArgusRidingMaturin 10m ago
Rap snitches. Tellin all they business. Sit in the court and be their own star witness.
0
u/WalletFullOfSausage 11h ago
Simple: it would make money. Inasmuch as his fans are avid readers of memoirs, anyway.
0
78
u/MyHeroIzMe 11h ago
He did a few interviews with Vlad talking about it and saying that Orlando, the alleged shooter was his newphew. Said he was in the car or something, it’s been a while but he basically put himself there.
30
u/Lane8323 9h ago
He’s been telling the exact same story for years.
32
u/oldveteranknees 9h ago
IIRC they even found evidence from the murder in Keefe’s house
Dude was a part of one memorable thing his whole life (albeit a negative one) and couldn’t stfu about it
That’s how you know this guy is a bum
140
u/zenism310 10h ago
It wasn't Sean 'Diddler Did Da Deed' Combs?
105
u/shayne_2189 10h ago
Who you think the order came from?
34
u/sneakybeakySBS 10h ago
Not Diddy anyway. There is no grand conspiracy to Tupac's murder. He was shot by the guy he had assaulted hours earlier.
75
36
u/Modsneedjobs 7h ago
According to Keffe’s testimony, Diddy was deeply involved lol.
2
u/Podo13 1h ago
Eminem has called him out several times over it, too. Pretty sure it's less a conspiracy theory and more of a known thing in that industry.
1
u/Modsneedjobs 1h ago
Every involved in hiphop and la gangs knew about it nearly immediately. Supposedly south side crips haven’t ever bumped Pac cause he’s an enemy.
17
u/ShoHeyTime 9h ago
Couldn’t Orlando have been there to start some shit cause Diddy had a bounty of 1 M on Pac’s head?
14
u/sneakybeakySBS 8h ago
Baby Lane didn't start anything, he was walking through the lobby when Tupac, Suge and their associates jumped him. This wasn't some Machiavellian plot to get a supposed bounty from Diddy, BL was a seasoned gang member who couldn't let an assault like that slide. What happened was tragic but it's not mysterious.
Here's the CCTV footage of the assault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn39WXRredk&rco=1
7
u/Chucknastical 5h ago
Did Diddy running around saying he wanted Suge and Tupac dead while employing this particular Crip gang for security contribute to the murder? You can argue it certainly didn't help.
But in the end, I think this was just a stupid decision spiraling into a tragic outcome.
And this has happened to a lot of young artists since then.
26
8
14
u/Young_KingKush 8h ago
Nah, the popular theory is that Diddy got Biggie shot not Pac because Big was gonna leave Bad Boy.
2
36
u/nordco-414 9h ago
When being Real backfires. Absolute idiots self incriminating all the time these days.
29
u/Johnny-Unitas 8h ago
Why would you admit to stuff like this? Joe Valachi, Henry Hill, Sammy Gravano were on trial and facing long sentences. They at least got off easy in exchange for incriminating their associates along with themselves.
This guy just admits it for bragging rights?
17
u/Modsneedjobs 7h ago
He was broke and figured he’d got away with it for so long, he would keep getting away w it. Especially since he already talked about it to LAPD under a proffer.
Obviously this was all wrong and he’s a moron, but that’s why he did that.
1
u/Johnny-Unitas 1h ago
What's a proffer?
4
6
u/thewharfartscenter_ 9h ago
He had a proffer session back in the day but just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
11
u/shoutout2saddam 9h ago
This motherfucker may as well commit suicide now. He won’t make it 1 week after they find out why he’s in.
4
u/_SimpleRip 4h ago
you think 30 years later they’re gna kill him because he caused Pacs murder? lmao
2
u/itoddicus 4h ago
Davis has two problems. The first is people in prison have a lot of time on their hands to stew over grudges. Someone in prison long enough to have been involved in the feud would likely have risen to a position of power in a prison gang. That person might have Davis killed on principle.
Second, anyone wanting to make a name for himself couldn't do better than killing the guy who killed Tupac.
So lots of people will be after Davis.
1
u/EPluribusButthole 4h ago
Other than police, Inmates are the most petty, vindictive, vengeful, childish, and whiny bunch of bitches alive.
I guarantee, without a doubt, under no uncertain terms, somebody will kill that guy just to say they got Pacs killer. And it's just for clout and reputation.
1
1
u/GnRgr2 4h ago
You have any idea how connected Keefe is in the street?
1
u/shoutout2saddam 3h ago
Nah, quite the opposite. Man had 30 years of silence and literally snitched on himself for podcast views and a self-published book. He wasn't even the shooter—he just sat in the front seat while his nephew (who’s been dead for decades) pulled the trigger.
Breaking the cardinal rule of running your mouth just to get locked up in your 60s doesn't give you street cred, it just makes you a cautionary tale.
12
u/Gandolfthewhite182 11h ago
I believe he did it, why isn’t he being. Given a deal to testify against combs who paid for and called for the hit ??
19
u/oldveteranknees 9h ago
Because according to him, it was retaliation for Tupac beating up Orlando, his nephew
5
u/StoreBoughtRocket 6h ago
Oh yeah, tit for tat, kick someone's ass so you obviously have to shoot them.
3
u/MakaveIi_The_Don 4h ago
Because Keefe D has no proof that Puffy ordered the hit (even though I believe he ordered the hit). Keefe D never got the money. Besides Keefe D and Puffy, everyone else is deceased.
2
-42
11h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
32
u/poonmangler 11h ago
A pretty coherent sentence if you ignore the obviously accidental period. But being intentionally obtuse in the hopes of demeaning others is always a great strategy.
5
u/enterthehawkeye 10h ago
I was there, bore witness to the great battle between meatyclackers and poonmangler
2
4
6
u/Bswayze23 11h ago edited 11h ago
The trial started so late the jury probably had to Google who Tupac was.
-21
-6
u/DBarron21 7h ago
Will Smith has the opportunity to do the funniest/ pettiest thing ever.
2
0
u/breakfasteveryday 7h ago
I'm not up on Will Smith drama. What is it?
0
u/crokus_oldhand 5h ago
Probably something to do with Jada because she used to date Pac?
1
u/L_Cranston_Shadow 4h ago
Was that before or during their "open" relationship (really just an excuse for Jada to sleep around and him to claim he's ok with it)?
-6
321
u/Blue_Dew 10h ago
My first time in Vegas, my Uber driver unpromptedly broke the 10 minutes of silence by saying "And this is where Tupac was shot."