Lawyer Departs from Defense Team of Accused in Tupac Shakur’s Murder Prior to Arraignment

Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis, once a leader of a Southern California street gang and now accused of the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, has been unsuccessful in retaining his attorney for the upcoming arraignment. This development comes two weeks after the same attorney had spoken in the public domain regarding Davis’s defense.

Ross Goodman, the attorney in question, informed The Big Big News that he and Davis couldn’t finalize an agreement, the specifics of which were granted an additional two weeks by a judge on October 19. The reasons for this failure to come to terms remain undisclosed by Goodman.

Davis is scheduled for arraignment on the following Thursday. Judge Tierra Jones of the Clark County District Court might necessitate an assessment of Davis’s financial assets. This would be to determine if Davis can self-fund his legal representation or if he needs to be declared unable to afford legal fees. In such a scenario, a publicly funded attorney would be assigned to his defense.

Scott Coffee, from the Clark County public defender’s office, mentioned that they are currently evaluating Davis’s case. Their objective is to decide if they can represent Davis or if past representations present a conflict of interest.

The court holds the discretion to appoint a private practicing defense attorney to represent Davis at the taxpayers’ expense or to assign a special public defender.

The situation remains uncertain. As Jordan Savage, an assistant special public defender, put it, “We’re still in the process of determining the representation dynamics for Davis.”

Edi Faal, Davis’s personal attorney from Los Angeles, conveyed his anticipation that a special public defender will likely be assigned to Davis. Faal had previously assisted Davis in seeking a defense attorney in Nevada and had verified Goodman’s association with the case.

60-year-old Davis, a native of Compton, California, was arrested outside his Las Vegas residence on September 29. This coincided with the indictment that held him responsible for masterminding the drive-by shooting which resulted in Shakur’s death and caused injuries to rap music figure Marion “Suge” Knight. Davis is predicted to deny the murder charge, a conviction for which might imprison him for life.

Shakur was killed at 25 years of age. Knight, although injured, survived the ordeal. Currently 58, Knight is serving a 28-year prison term for the death of a businessman from Compton in 2015. Knight remains silent regarding the arrest of Davis.

On October 19, Goodman had identified potential defense angles, noting the absence of the weapon, the vehicle from the incident, and reliable witnesses from nearly three decades ago.

The prosecution postulates that Shakur’s death was a result of a rivalry between East Coast and West Coast musical factions in the then “gangsta rap” domain. A fight at a Las Vegas casino between Shakur and Davis’s nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, is believed to have precipitated the fatal shooting.

Anderson, who denied any participation in Shakur’s murder, was shot dead in Compton in 1998, aged 23. The other individuals accompanying Davis and Anderson on the day of the incident are no longer alive.

In recent times, Davis has publicly acknowledged his involvement in Shakur’s demise, including through interviews and a 2019 memoir that delves into his tenure as a leader of a Crips gang faction in Compton.

Marc DiGiacomo, the prosecutor, informed the grand jury of Davis’s confessions from his book. Davis confessed to supplying the weapon and being present at the murder scene, orchestrating the attempt on the lives of Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight.

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More about Tupac Shakur Murder Arraignment

• Tupac Shakur’s Legacy
• Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis: A Closer Look
• The Unsolved Murder of Tupac Shakur
• The East Coast vs. West Coast Hip-Hop Rivalry
• Legal Proceedings in Murder Cases
• Public Defenders and Their Role