Tupac Shakur murder suspect Keefe D says he lied about shooting dead the rapper to make money & rages about bail issues
KEEFE D lied about killing Tupac Shakur “for money” his lawyer has claimed after the gangster appeared in court in Las Vegas.
The 60-year-old – real name Duane Davis – fabricated his role in the 1996 assassination of Shakur to bank tens of thousands of dollars through media interviews and a memoir – after seeing an ex-LAPD officer make money with his own book.
Former LA drug dealer Keefe looked dejected, shuffling around in his shackled hands and feet as he appeared in court to hear how his trial would be postponed until November.
Afterwards, Keefe’s new defense lawyer Carl Arnold told The U.S Sun he was confident on clearing his client in “one of the biggest cases in Las Vegas history” – following Tuesday’s court hearing.
Arnold says Keefe’s previous confessions to the murder were influenced by ex LAPD task force investigator Greg Kading, who after probing Biggie Smalls and Tupac’s deaths, released a book and forged a media career around the killings.
Arnold said: “There’s no evidence that he was involved.
“He did what Detective Kading did. He put out a book and he made money.
“I mean even the state’s main investigator that testified at the grand jury said this is all about making money and that’s why he put out the book.”
When asked to confirm Keefe’s stance is: “I did it for money”, Arnold replied: “Correct.”
Arnold also labeled prosecutors’s claim that Keefe was a “threat to society” as “ridiculous”.
“I saw an affidavit from a neighbor that lives right next to him and said they were one of the best neighbors.
“He and his wife sat out in front of the garage, greeted everybody, talked about the grandkids.
“We never heard about Mr. Davis in regards to being a threat until this trial and when he’s getting ready to come out, all of a sudden he’s a threat.”
Arnold confirmed Keefe, who has battled cancer, has “retired from all gang life”, adding that his mental and physical health are good.
“At this point I think he’s in good spirits,” he said.
“He’s upbeat that he can possibly get out of here real soon.”
Arnold, who took over Keefe’s defense from public defenders last month, spoke after the court hearing at the 8th Judicial District Court.
In court, staring at assembled media, Keefe complained that he’d struggled to raise funds for his $750k bail.
He stared at the media area and declared: “There is a lot of people turning me down because of these people here.”
Arnold said he was confident of getting the ten percent fee of $75k needed for bail deposit.
He added: “I’m getting phone calls from potential people that can put up the bail and so I would say within 30 days, hopefully something’s nailed down this week by Friday.
“Bail will be made.”
Confident Arnold claims that the District Attorney’s case is not strong enough to convict his client – even though Keefe has given many interviews confirming being a key player in the infamous 1996 crime
He said: “The state have to provide evidence number one of a gun, number two of a car and most importantly that Mr. Davis was even in Las Vegas at the time. Right now I can be forthright and say we haven’t seen any of that evidence.”
The respected Henderson-based lawyer said he decided to represent Keefe, because it was the biggest case since the OJ Simpson kidnapping in Las Vegas.
He added: “Why wouldn’t you want to take this case on? It’s going to be a historic case. It’s a challenge…
“It’s a big burden, a burden that we gladly take on. I mean, we understand the enormity of the case and it’s going to be my life until November to make sure that justice happens. So it’s going to be a great trial, I’ll tell you that.
“Am I confident? Yes I am.“
During the 10-minute hearing, judge Carli Kierny agreed to push the trial start date to November 4.
The next hearing is set for April 25.