A Las Vegas judge ruled that a book co-written by Duane “Keefe D” Davis, who is accused of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, can be used as evidence in his upcoming trial. The trial is set to begin on Monday, August 10. Prosecutors argue that Davis’s book, “Compton Street Legend,” is central to their case, as it contains details about the murder that Davis made public.
The judge decided that the book is admissible because Davis voluntarily wrote and published it, potentially profiting from its sales. According to FOX5, the prosecution stated, “Had Mr. Davis never opened his mouth, never written the book, he would probably not have been prosecuted for the crime.”
Defense attorney Michael Sanft argued against the book’s admissibility, claiming that Davis’s statements to police in 2008 and 2009 were involuntary and that the book was fictionalized for profit. However, the judge found that Davis had adopted the book’s content as his own, describing it as the “real truth.”
The court also ruled on jury sequestration, opting for partial sequestration instead of full, to shield jurors from media coverage during the trial. The judge expects a large jury pool due to the case’s high-profile nature.
Davis, who has pled not guilty, was arrested in 2023 after his public statements and book revived interest in the cold case. He faces one charge of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang. The trial will explore Davis’s alleged role in the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur, who was in a car with Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight when he was shot.
A final status hearing is scheduled for July 14, ahead of the trial’s commencement in August. For more details, visit ABC News and Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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