Current:Home > MyEx-gang leader accused of killing Tupac Shakur won’t be released on bond, judge rules -Wealthify
Ex-gang leader accused of killing Tupac Shakur won’t be released on bond, judge rules
View
Date:2025-04-11 13:56:44
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge on Tuesday again rejected a request to free an ailing former Los Angeles-area gang leader accused in the 1996 killing of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur, saying she suspects a cover-up related to the sources of the funds for his bond.
The decision from Clark District Court Judge Carli Kierny came after an attorney for Duane “Keffe D” Davis said he would provide additional financial records to prove that Davis and the music record executive offering to underwrite his $750,000 bail aren’t planning to reap profits from the sale of Davis’ life story and that the money was legally obtained.
“I have a sense that things are trying to be covered up,” Kierny said, adding that she was left with more questions than answers after receiving two identical letters apparently from the entertainment company that music record executive Cash “Wack 100” Jones says wired him the funds.
Kierny said one of the letters was signed with a name that does not have any ties to the company.
Davis has sought to be released since shortly after his September 2023 arrest, which made him the only person ever to be charged with a crime in a killing that for nearly three decades has drawn intense interest and speculation.
Prosecutors allege that the gunfire that killed Shakur in Las Vegas stemmed from competition between East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect and West Coast groups of a Crips sect, including Davis, for dominance in a genre known at the time as “gangsta rap.”
Kierny previously rejected Davis’ bid to have music executive Cash “Wack 100” Jones put up $112,500 to obtain Davis’ $750,000 bail bond, saying she was not convinced that Davis and Jones weren’t planning to profit. She also said she couldn’t determine if Jones wasn’t serving as a “middleman” on behalf of another unnamed person.
Nevada has a law, sometimes called a “slayer statute,” that prohibits convicted killers from profiting from their crimes.
Jones, who has managed artists including Johnathan “Blueface” Porter and Jayceon “The Game” Taylor, testified in June that he wanted to put up money for Davis because Davis was fighting cancer and had “always been a monumental person in our community ... especially the urban community.”
Davis has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. Also Tuesday, Kierny pushed back the start of Davis’ trial from Nov. 4 to March 17.
He and prosecutors say he’s the only person still alive who was in a car from which shots were fired into another car nearly 28 years ago, killing Shakur and wounding rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight.
veryGood! (69)
Related
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Azerbaijan launches military operation targeting Armenian positions; 2 civilians reportedly killed, including child
- Proposed North Carolina budget would exempt legislators from public records disclosures
- Tim McGraw's Birthday Tribute to Best Friend Faith Hill Will Warm Your Heart
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Biden at the UN General Assembly, Ukraine support, Iranian prisoners: 5 Things podcast
- Kim Kardashian is the only reason to watch awful 'American Horror Story: Delicate'
- U.N. warns Libya could face second devastating crisis if disease spreads in decimated Derna
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- After a lull, asylum-seekers adapt to US immigration changes and again overwhelm border agents
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Who killed Tupac? Latest developments in case explored in new 'Impact x Nightline'
- Medicaid coverage restored to about a half-million people after computer errors in many states
- Migrant crossings soar to near-record levels, testing Biden's border strategy
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Russia calls temporary halt to gasoline, diesel fuel exports
- MILAN FASHION PHOTOS: Benetton reaches across generations with mix-matched florals and fruity motifs
- Kim Kardashian is the only reason to watch awful 'American Horror Story: Delicate'
Recommendation
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
College football picks for Week 4: Predictions for Top 25 schedule filled with big games
Peso Pluma cancels Tijuana show following threats from Mexican cartel, cites security concerns
See Kim Kardashian Officially Make Her American Horror Story: Delicate Debut
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
See Powerball winning numbers: Jackpot grows to $725 million after no winner in Wednesday drawing
'Paw-sitively exciting': Ohio zoo welcomes twin Siberian tiger cubs
There's a lot to love in the 'Hair Love'-inspired TV series 'Young Love'