Tupac Shakur's killer Duane 'Keffe D' Davis claims he is 'innocent' ahead of sentencing

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Convicted Tupac Shakur killer Duane 'Keffe D' Davis is maintaining his innocence ahead of his sentencing, insisting he was not involved in the rapper's 1996 killing. Davis said he was not near the crime scene and vowed to fight his conviction through an appeal.

He was convicted of first-degree murder by a Las Vegas jury on September 1, marking the first conviction in the nearly 30-year-old case surrounding Shakur's killing.

Duane 'Keffe D' Davis maintains his innocence and plans appeal

Davis was interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter after his recent conviction in the nearly 30-year-old case. Prosecutors argued that Davis did not pull the trigger but passed a gun to the shooter, who then shot Tupac during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.

Prosecutors also alleged that Davis orchestrated the shooting in retaliation for an earlier altercation involving his nephew and members of Tupac's entourage. Despite the conviction, he said, “I'm innocent, man. They got an innocent man sitting in jail.”

Davis said he had already filed an appeal with the state court and was confident he would ultimately be released from prison.

Davis believes his appeal will succeed because he claims state authorities violated a non-prosecution agreement he had with federal authorities to disclose what happened the night Tupac was killed. “The DOJ gave me a deal ... It came from the top and they said that they was never going to use it in court against me,” Davis said.

Davis also denied being at the crime scene. He said he attended the Mike Tyson boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas before going to a bar near UCLA in Los Angeles. The following morning, he said, he returned home and had breakfast with his son and daughters.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13. Jurors took just three hours to convict him, marking the first conviction in the case. Tupac's family expressed gratitude and relief following the verdict.

Duane 'Keffe D' Davis challenges evidence used against him

Davis also argued that his 2019 autobiography, 'Compton Street Legend,' was improperly used as evidence during the trial. “I never wrote that book. The author told me to tell them 10 stories about what happened in your life and get them some pictures,” Davis said.

He continued, “I never read that book or went over that book or nothing. They didn't even spell my name right on the cover.” He further accused witnesses, including FBI agents and police officers who testified for the prosecution, of misrepresenting his character during the trial.

Davis also addressed whether he had a message for Tupac’s family. “I ain't got nothing to say to them,” he said. “I didn't like the way they was looking at me — like they was ready to beat me up. And I didn't like the way the prosecutors kept bringing them in the back room where the jury was. That felt biased to me.”

His defense attorney, Michael Sanft, recently said Davis intends to appeal the conviction. During opening statements, Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal highlighted Davis' own words, including a “secret 2008 interview” with authorities, public statements, interviews and 'Compton Street Legend.'

“In this world, silence means survival,” Palal told jurors and added, “The one person who has had a hard time being silent is Duane Davis.”