Legal representatives for Duane “Keffe D” Davis, accused of involvement in the 1996 drive-by shooting death of famous rapper Tupac Shakur, have formally requested that evidence seized during a nighttime search be suppressed on the basis that the search was improperly authorized and executed.
Defense attorneys Robert Draskovich and William Brown filed the motion this week, challenging the legitimacy of the nighttime search warrant. They contend that the warrant's approval was heavily influenced by a distorted and inaccurate depiction of Davis as an active, dangerous drug dealer. According to the defense, such a portrayal was misleading and crucial details about Davis’s actual lifestyle were omitted from consideration when approving the search.
Davis, a former gang leader from Southern California who reportedly left the narcotics business in 2008, had transitioned into a career conducting inspection work for oil refineries. At the time of the search, Davis was 60 years old, a retired cancer survivor, and resided with his wife in the city of Henderson, near Las Vegas, for approximately nine years. He also had adult children and grandchildren. The defense stresses that none of these contextual factors were presented to the court before it sanctioned the nighttime search.
“The court wasn’t informed of these facts,” the attorneys stated in their motion. “Consequently, the authorization for the nighttime search was granted based on a portrayal of Davis that significantly deviated from reality — demonstrating a clear factual error.”
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for conducting the search, confiscated Davis’s electronic devices, items described as “purported marijuana,” and several tubs containing photographs. When approached for comment, law enforcement officials declined to discuss the case due to ongoing legal proceedings.
Law enforcement officials previously explained that executing the warrant at night was justified to allow officers to enclose and secure Davis’s residence effectively. They also cited concerns that if Davis chose to barricade himself inside, the dark conditions would facilitate evacuations of nearby homes with minimal risk to residents.
Davis was apprehended in September 2023 and has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. Since his arrest, he has sought release pending the trial.
The defense further claims that Davis’s arrest was influenced by deceptive public statements he made, asserting his presence in the white Cadillac associated with the shooting. They argue that Davis has never provided corroborating details to verify this claim and that such statements served his personal interests. Specifically, Davis avoided drug charges through a proffer agreement by sharing his story and subsequently profited from recounting the narrative in documentaries and a 2019 publication.
In an attempt to challenge the charges, Davis pursued dismissal of the murder accusations through the Nevada Supreme Court; however, his petition was denied in November.
“Consider this perspective: the murder of Tupac Shakur has become a cultural event continuously explored, mythologized, and monetized within the entertainment industry. Under this scrutiny, it is understandable why an individual in Davis’s position might falsely claim involvement for financial or reputational gain,” the attorneys argued in their filing.