Tupac Murder Suspect's Second Confession Tape Resurfaces, Contradicts Recent Statement In Court; Defense Lawyer Wants It Dismissed: Report
The second confession tape of Tupac Shakur's murder suspect resurfaced after his lawyer claimed he lied about his involvement in the incident, according to a report.
Duane "Keefe D" Davis' second taped confession has resurfaced. In the recording, he admits to a Las Vegas Metro Police officer that he and his gang "got to shooting" when they pulled up next to Shakur on the Las Vegas strip in 1996.
The tape contradicted what his lawyer, Carl Arnold, said in court this week. According to the attorney, he was not in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting, The Sun reported.
The recording that resurfaced has not been submitted into evidence. It was played on an ABC News special about Shakur.
According to the evidence custodian, the tape was not in their department. Additionally, the Clark County District Attorney had not filed any paperwork to use it in the court proceedings.
Meanwhile, Arnold dismissed the claims that the tape was a "bombshell blow" to his client, Davis. He said that it was not enough proof that he did the crime. Arnold also said he was unaware of the tape's existence but had already received a transcript and audio copy. He brushed off the speculations that it was an admission from Davis and said he would file a motion to dismiss the recording as evidence in the case.
"Bottom line, I am in the process of preparing a motion to dismiss [this evidence if it is entered into the case] because what information is new?" he told The Sun.
"They sat on this for all those years and didn't do anything about it all these years. It totally depleted his right to have a fair trial because, firstly, everybody is dead. People (who were in the car) who could confirm or deny this are dead."
The recording happened in Davis' 2009 interview. Arnold questioned its relevance to the case, noting that if the information was significant, authorities would not wait 15 years to arrest Davis.
"Metro waited 15 years since this 2009 interview to prosecute him. I mean, come on," Davis' legal counsel continued. "From what information I have, there was no agreement [not to prosecute], so why did Metro not arrest him in 2009 when he was sitting there? It goes back to what I've always said. They knew that they didn't have enough evidence to convict him and did not try to prosecute with that information right then. Their evidence is circumstantial."
Meanwhile, police sources said they were shocked after learning about the confession tape, and they questioned why it was never made public. The Metro confession was not included in the Grand Jury presentation of evidence in September, which showed multiple interviews of Davis confessing to being a shot caller.
In the clip, Davis can be heard telling the Metro officers that his nephew Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson was beaten by Death Row Records boss Suge Knight and Shakur after Mike Tyson's fight at the MGM Grand on Sept. 7, 1996. He claimed that they tracked Knight and Shakur in a BMW on the strip, and it was Anderson who pulled out the revolver.
"Orlando said, 'Give it here, I'll shoot,' and he got to shooting," Davis said.
He added that he saw a "bullet in Suge's head" while a panicked Shakur "jumped up and down trying to get into the back seat." Additionally, he admitted on the recording that he hid the murder weapon.
Arnold previously said that Davis only wanted to make money, so he lied about his involvement in Shakur's murder. He also said that there was no proof Davis was in Las Vegas during the shooting and didn't have the vehicle and gun used during the fatal encounter.
