A newly surfaced jailhouse phone call could become a significant obstacle for Duane “Keefe D” Davis as he prepares to stand trial over Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder. Davis has maintained that claims made in his memoir about his involvement in the fatal Las Vegas shooting were fabricated and written by a ghostwriter. However, a call reportedly recorded days after his 2023 arrest appears to show him acknowledging that he wrote the book. The seven-minute conversation is expected to be used by prosecutors when Davis’s murder trial begins Monday in Las Vegas.
5During the call, a woman described as Davis’ mistress asked him about “Compton Street Legend,” the memoir containing his account of the night Shakur was shot.
“What’s this book they say you wrote?” the unidentified woman asked.
“Oh, yeah, I did,” Davis responded, according to audio obtained by The New York Post.
The brief answer could prove important because it reportedly conflicts with Davis’ current position that the book was created by a ghostwriter and did not accurately reflect his role in the crime.
Davis is the only person charged in connection with Shakur’s death. He has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney, Michael Sanft, continues to argue that prosecutors lack enough reliable evidence to secure a conviction.
The call does not establish Davis’ guilt on its own. However, prosecutors could use it in an attempt to challenge the credibility of his explanation for the statements attributed to him in the memoir.
The Suspect Complained About The Attention On Him
5Davis also discussed former Los Angeles Police Department detective Greg Kading, who publicly connected him to Shakur’s death in the 2011 book “Murder Rap.”
“He had my life f-cked up. I crawled up under a rock for six years. I just got tired of it,” Davis said during the call. “You don’t say that sh-t … they don’t know the motherf-cking truth.”
The woman referred to Davis as her “husband” during the conversation, although he was married to another woman.
The recording also reportedly corroborates Davis’ connections to several figures expected to become relevant during the trial. Among them is Devonta “Dirt Rock” Lee, who testified during the grand jury proceedings and is expected to appear as a witness.
Prosecutors will reportedly present the call alongside Davis’ memoir, public interviews, and other evidence as they seek to prove that he helped organize the retaliatory attack.
Prosecutors Allege Davis Supplied The Gun
5Shakur was shot while riding in a black BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight on September 7, 1996. The pair had attended a Mike Tyson boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas earlier that evening. After the fight, Shakur and members of his entourage were caught on surveillance footage attacking Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, in the hotel lobby.
According to Davis’ memoir, the group decided to search for Shakur and Knight after Anderson’s beating. “We couldn’t let no record company studio gangsters do us like that,” Davis wrote.
Prosecutors allege Davis was seated in the front passenger seat of the white Cadillac used during the subsequent drive-by shooting. Anderson and two other men were reportedly also inside the vehicle. “According to Keefe D., he’s in the front passenger seat with a 40-caliber Glock they picked up in Vegas,” a law enforcement source told The Post.
Davis claimed in his book that he “tossed the Glock in the backseat” before the Cadillac pulled alongside Knight’s BMW. “Pac pulled out a strap,” the memoir states. “And that’s when the fireworks started.”
Shakur was struck four times. The 25-year-old rapper died from his injuries six days later.
Davis has long claimed that Anderson was the gunman. Anderson died in an unrelated gang shooting in 1998 at 23. The two other occupants of the Cadillac have also died, leaving Davis and Knight as the only surviving individuals said to have been directly connected to the confrontation.
His Wife Is Reportedly Angry He Spoke Publicly
5A family friend claimed Davis’ wife, Paula, believes his decision to repeatedly discuss the case caused his current legal problems. Paula “is livid with Keefe for opening his big mouth and causing this problem,” the source told The Post.
Davis initially spoke to authorities during an investigation into the 1997 murder of Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace. “The LAPD was working on a case against Davis for allegedly trafficking large quantities of PCP and cocaine,” a law enforcement insider claimed. “He said, ‘I can’t tell you anything about [Biggie]. But I can tell you about the case in Las Vegas.’”
Davis reportedly gave information under a proffer agreement, which generally limits prosecutors’ ability to use self-incriminating statements made during a protected interview. However, law enforcement sources claim the agreement did not give Davis permanent protection for statements he later made publicly in his memoir or media appearances.
“He started going on different platforms and talking about the murder,” one source said. “I think his narcissism and hubris blinded him to the reality that you can’t talk about this stuff.”
Davis Predicted A ‘Big A-s Win’ After His Arrest
5Davis was arrested outside his Henderson, Nevada, home on September 29, 2023, nearly 27 years after Shakur’s death. Despite the serious charge, he sounded confident during the newly obtained jail call. “I got some good a-s attorney … He came out of retirement to help me, and he got all my stuff,” Davis said. “So I got a big a-s win. And I am gonna sue the sh-t out of their as-es.”
Sanft declined to comment to The Post about the recording but described the Clark County District Attorney’s case as “weak.”
The defense will now have to explain why Davis appeared to take ownership of a book it has sought to distance him from, while prosecutors attempt to turn his years of public statements into evidence before a jury.
