With his trial approaching, Duane “Keefe D” Davis is making a final attempt to avoid facing a jury in the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur.
Defense attorney Mike Sanft has asked the court to throw out the charge, claiming the Clark County District Attorney’s Office lacks sufficient evidence. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Aug. 10.
Sanft told The U.S. Sun that prosecutors should not have charged Davis and said law enforcement owes him a written apology.
At the center of the case are statements Davis made over the years in interviews and in his memoir, Compton Street Legend. His defense now says those stories were exaggerated for publicity and book sales rather than actual confessions.
Sanft acknowledged that some of the comments may have been “not in good taste,” but argued they were protected speech and do not prove Davis participated in Shakur’s killing.
The attorney also denied that Davis had received a plea offer. He said he would advise his client to accept nothing short of a complete dismissal.
If convicted, Davis could spend the rest of his life in prison. Prosecutors have said they will not pursue the death penalty.
