- Judge Carli Kierny has ordered Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis’ to wear an electronic monitor under house arrest if he can post $750,000 bail
- Davis pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in November and was held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas
- Davis, 60, was arrested on September 29, 2023 and charged with open murder for the 1996 death of rapper Tupac.
A Nevada judge has set bail at $750,000 for the former Los Angeles street gang leader accused of orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.
Judge Carli Kierny has ordered Duane “Keffe D” Davis” to wear an electronic monitor while under house arrest if he can post bail ahead of his trial in June.
Davis, 60, was arrested on September 29, 2023 and charged with open murder and use of a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement. Davis pleaded not guilty in November and was held in jail without bail Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, he appeared in court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with Special Public Defender Charles Cano.
Davis’ court-appointed attorneys argued that Davis is in remission from cancer and that he will not flee to avoid his upcoming trial due to his poor health.
That’s what defense lawyers said the associated press they were confident their client could post bail. They requested that bail not exceed $100,000.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis appeared in court Tuesday along with his special defender Charles Cano for a hearing at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas
Tapuc Shakur died on September 13, 1996, almost a week after he was shot
Legendary rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996
Attorney Robert Arroyo said during Tuesday’s hearing that Davis posed no danger to the community.
He said his client had earned an honest living and that “if he wanted to run, he would have done so years ago.” ABC news reported.
“If Duane is so dangerous, if this case is so overwhelming, if his guilt is so overwhelming… why did authorities wait 15 years to arrest him?” Arroyo said.
But prosecutors asked the judge for no or high bail, claiming Davis “poses a very, very great danger to the community.” In particular, they argued that he poses a danger to witnesses who could testify against him at trial.
Prosecutors highlighted the risk by citing an exchange between Davis and his son in which the pair used the term “green light,” which they claim is a code word for “kill.”
But Davis’ attorney explained that the messages were taken out of context and that it had to do with the safety of his family, not a blow to those testifying against him.
Davis pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in November and was held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center (pictured) in Las Vegas
The judge explained some of the factors that are considered before making a bail decision, including how long Davis has lived in his Las Vegas community and his relationship with his family.
Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson called the judge’s decision “conscientious and thorough” in reaching it, though he said he still believed Davis was “a danger to the community and to some witnesses.”
Wolfson said, “My prosecutors argued exactly that, and I believe the judge agreed with our arguments today.”
The suspect’s next status conference is February 20.