Duane “Keefe D” Davis, the man accused of masterminding Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder, is back in court—this time for a jailhouse brawl. Indicted earlier this year on battery by a prisoner and challenging-to-fight charges, Davis’ latest legal battle kicked off with jury selection on April 8, 2025, at Clark County Detention Center. Here’s what’s unfolding.
The Incident
On December 23, 2024, Davis allegedly clashed with inmate Rochlon Hamilton in a “mutual combat” scuffle at the detention center. Prosecutors say the two traded blows, but Davis’ lawyer, Carl Arnold, insists Keefe was ambushed and acted in self-defense. Arnold’s pointing fingers at “glaring security failures,” claiming an unsupervised inmate crossed Davis’ path in a high-security unit—odd timing for a high-profile detainee like him.
Jury Selection Drama
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that District Judge Nadia Krall grilled potential jurors on April 8 about their knowledge of Davis, linked to Tupac’s killing near the Vegas Strip as retaliation for a fight with his nephew. Most didn’t recognize him or his murder case. Jurors shared personal tales—robbery at gunpoint, car theft—while one “old school” guy got cut for saying the accused should prove innocence: “Guilty is guilty.” After five hours, a jury was locked in.
Trial Timing and Tactics
The battery trial could wrap as early as today, April 9, with Davis not expected to take the stand. He tried to delay it last-minute, but Krall shot that down. Arnold’s questioning why charges took weeks to file, hinting at prosecutorial motives. Meanwhile, Davis’ bigger fight—his Tupac murder trial—got pushed to February 9, 2026, as his team hunts witnesses to challenge the 1996 narrative.
