Duane “Keefe D” Davis wrote about Tupac Shakur’s killing years before his arrest, and prosecutors are now using that memoir against him at trial.
On Monday, prosecutors spotlighted Davis’ 2019 book, Compton Street Legend, telling jurors that his own published accounts are part of the evidence tying him to the 1996 Las Vegas shooting.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal said Keefe D had also spoken about the case in interviews and during a secret 2008 meeting with authorities.
“The one person who has had a hard time being silent is Duane Davis,” Palal told the jury.
Judge Carli Kierny has ruled that portions of the memoir may be presented during the trial.
Keefe D has since tried to distance himself from some of the book’s claims, saying his co-author took liberties with his story.
His defense attorney Michael Sanft went even further, arguing that Davis has long embellished stories about the murder. At one point during opening statements, Sanft put the word “bulls–t” on a screen in court.
“He was never charged for any of what he said during that time period, and it’s because they knew he was full of crap,” Sanft said.
Prosecutors allege Keefe D helped arrange the shooting and supplied the weapon used in the attack. They do not accuse him of pulling the trigger.
Keefe D has pleaded not guilty.
Shakur was shot four times and died six days later on September 13, 1996, at age 25.