Tupac Murder Suspect Hires New Lawyer Reprimanded by State Bar

Tupac murder suspect hires new lawyer, rebuked by prosecutor

Former Compton gang leader Duane Davis, charged in the 1996 murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur, has swapped his court-appointed attorney for a private attorney. The new attorney was twice sanctioned by the Nevada State Bar.

Carl Arnold, a veteran attorney who specializes in representing families of people killed by police, has been disciplined twice by the Nevada State Bar during his 20-year career. Arnold was first reprimanded in 2018 for failing to properly file documents during an appeal to the state Supreme Court. In 2021, he was punished again for failing to represent defendants in a Las Vegas court.

Each sanction results in a written reprimand and a $1,500 fine.

Arnold said in a statement to The Associated Press that he was "honored to represent Mr. Duane Davis in one of the most historic trials of this century."

Davis, 60, was arrested on September 29, 2023 after being indicted by a grand jury for Shakur’s murder. He remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center since his arrest, although his bail was set at $750,000 on Jan. 9. Arnold said his client is expected to be released on bail soon.

Davis, also known as "Keffe D," is the only person charged in the case and the only survivor of the car that shot and killed Shakur and rap mogul Marion "Suge" on Sept. 7, 1996. Knight was injured.

Davis' nephew, Orlando Anderson, was questioned in connection with the crimes but was never charged. Two years later, he was killed in a gang shootout at a car wash in Compton, California. Two other men were suspected of traveling in a white Cadillac where Shakur was shot through the left rear window. Drivers Terry Brown and Dedra "Big Dre" Smith also died without being charged.

"We look forward to Mr. Davis being found not guilty at the conclusion of this trial," Arnold's statement said.

Prosecutors said Davis portrayed himself as the "aggressor" in a 2019 self-published book, in an interview for a 2017 BET documentary and in a 2008 interview with a joint FBI and Los Angeles Police Department task force. . Davis claims he was promised immunity from prosecution in exchange for cooperating with the task force.

Arnold said his client "cannot be convicted based solely on his confession" because prosecutors must provide conclusive evidence proving Davis' guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If Davis posts bail, he will remain under house arrest under strict electronic monitoring.