Lawyer asks Nevada Supreme Court to dismiss murder charge in Tupac Shakur case

Attorneys for a man accused of the 1996 murder of hip hop legend Tupac Shakur filed a petition with the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking to overturn a lower court’s denial to dismiss the case.

In a press release, Carl Arnold of the CEGA Criminal Law Group said it had filed a petition for writ of mandamus with the Nevada Supreme Court on behalf of client Duane “Keffe D” Davis. The filing urges the seven-justice panel to overturn a District Court’s denial of a request by Davis to dismiss a murder charge in connection to the Sept. 7, 1996, shooting death of Shakur, according to the release.

The petition asserts that the Clark County District Court overstepped its authority by failing to determine whether the state has any admissible evidence beyond statements that were protected under so-called proffer agreements with federal and local law enforcement dating back to 1998, Arnold said in a statement.

“Mr. Davis cooperated with law enforcement over the course of more than a decade, relying on repeated assurances that his statements would not be used against him — yet those very statements now form the core of the State’s case,” Arnold said in the statement. “This is a clear due process violation. This case is under scrutiny both nationally and internationally. In such a high-profile prosecution, it’s critical that our justice system not only uphold the law — but be seen to be fair, consistent, and constitutional.”

If approved by the high court, the writ of mandamus would compel the District Court to dismiss the murder charge against Davis, according to the release. Alternatively, the Nevada Supreme Court could also determine whether prosecutors possess independent, admissible evidence in the murder case, as well as make the lower court adhere to protections that Arnold said were previously granted to Davis by state and federal authorities.

The Supreme Court is expected to review the petition and may request written briefs or schedule oral arguments, according to the press release. A timeline has not been given.

A Clark County District Court judge on July 2 denied a request for a new trial for a separate case stemming from an alleged jailhouse battery case that reportedly occurred in December. Sentencing for that case is scheduled for Aug. 7.

Prosecutors have accused Davis of organizing the murder of Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip as payback for a fight involving the famed rapper and Davis’ nephew. Online court records show Davis’ jury trial for the alleged slaying is scheduled to start Feb. 9, 2026.

The Clark County district attorney’s office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.