Arrest in Tupac Shakur killing stemmed from Biggie Smalls death investigation

In a stunning development, Duane Keffe D. Davis, a central figure in the investigations into the murders of hip-hop legends Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, has been arrested and charged with murder. Davis now faces allegations of ordering and masterminding the killing of Tupac in 1996, a case that has remained unsolved for nearly three decades.

Davis, 60, had long been a person of interest in both cases but managed to avoid prosecution until now. The breakthrough in the Tupac case came when retired Los Angeles police detective Greg Kading, who had been investigating the Biggie Smalls murder, interviewed Davis in 2009. Davis, who had immunity for what he said during the police interview, confessed to his involvement in the Shakur case, providing detailed information about how he and his co-conspirators carried out the murder.

Notably, Davis went on to reveal many of the same details in various public forums, including documentaries, podcasts, and a 2019 memoir titled "Compton Street Legend." These revelations reignited the Las Vegas police probe and ultimately led to his grand jury indictment.

Although Davis is not accused of being the gunman who killed Tupac Shakur, he is considered the group's ringleader. In Nevada, a defendant can be charged with a crime, including murder, if they helped someone commit the crime. Davis admitted in his memoir that he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting that claimed Tupac's life.

Davis was arrested near his home on the outskirts of Las Vegas, just hours before prosecutors announced his indictment by a Nevada grand jury on one count of murder with a deadly weapon. The grand jury also voted to add a sentencing enhancement for gang activity, potentially adding up to 20 additional years if he is convicted.

The transcripts released from the grand jury proceedings shed light on the deep rivalry between Tupac's music label, Death Row Records, and Bad Boy Records, which had connections to Davis and represented Biggie Smalls (Christopher Wallace). This rivalry significantly influenced the hip-hop scene during the mid-1990s and may have played a role in the murders of both artists.

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