Accused of masterminding the 1996 murder of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, Crip member Duane Keefe D Davis is facing fresh allegations of plotting another murder, this time from within his prison cell as he awaits his trial in June.
Court documents filed by the prosecutors office in Las Vegas on Thursday reveal that Davis was allegedly devising plans to potentially arrange the assassination of witnesses who could testify against him in his forthcoming trial.
As part of their pre-trial preparations, prosecutors had sent a list of names to the public defender's office. This list comprised known gang members and witnesses cooperating with the District Attorney's office. Such disclosures are standard practice, as criminal defendants have the right to cross-examine witnesses who testify against them.
However, in this instance, prosecutors allege that a member of the public defender's office, who is not involved in Davis' case, handed the list to Davis. This individual also either passed the list to Davis' son or Davis himself did so. The list was circulated for what can only be inferred as a means of intimidation," the prosecutors stated.
Prosecutors assert that during a recorded jailhouse conversation between Davis and his son on October 9, the two discussed a 'green light' which reportedly alarmed officials to such an extent that they decided to relocate one of their witnesses for protection.
"I got something to tell you about some sh*t that's going on," Davis' son is quoted telling his father during the call.
"What?" Davis queried.
His son, as per prosecutors, responded, "Around the city, they talking about it's a green light on our side."
Prosecutors interpret a green light on our side as a signal to murder witnesses that could jeopardize Davis court prospects.
Citing this and other reasons, prosecutors argued in Thursdays court filings that Davis poses "credible threats" to witnesses and urged Judge Carli Kierny to reject Davis' request for bail until his trial.
Nevertheless, the court filing does not state that Davis has explicitly ordered anyone to harm anyone, or that anyone linked to the case has been physically harmed. Davis legal team has announced plans to respond in court on Tuesday.
Davis, a native of Compton, California, was arrested on September 29 following a search warrant executed by Las Vegas police at a suburban Henderson house on July 17.
In their case against Davis, the Clark County District Attorney's Office alleges that the defendant was a notorious gang member in the 1990s and was the "shot caller" on the night Shakur was shot while seated in a stationary car on the Las Vegas Strip in 1996.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Jason Johansson claimed during a press conference that Davis, alleged to be a member of the South Side Compton Crips gang, shot Shakur following a brawl between their rival gangs shortly before the murder. The groups were departing from the Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand hotel on Sept. 13, 1996.
Davis, currently held without bond at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, where inmate phone calls are frequently recorded, pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in November. If convicted, Davis could face a sentence ranging from 50 years to life in prison without parole or even the death penalty.
The prosecution cites multiple "confessions" by Davis since 2008, including those made in police interviews, his 2019 autobiography, and media appearances, asserting that he orchestrated the drive-by shooting in September 1996 near the Las Vegas Strip, which resulted in the death of Tupac Shakur and injuries to rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.
Knight, now 58, is serving a 28-year sentence in California for his role in the 2015 death of a Compton businessman.
Davis, the only surviving member of the group in the car when the shots were fired, claims he was granted immunity in a 2008 agreement with the FBI and Los Angeles police, who were investigating the murders of rival rappers Christopher Wallace aka Biggie Smallz aka The Notorious B.I.G. in Los Angeles in March 1997 and Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.
Davis' attorneys argue that his multiple public accounts boasting about the murder of Tupac Shakur were "created for financial gain and entertainment purposes."
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