The bail for Tupac Shakur‘s murder suspect has been set at $750,000 (£590,000) after being charged for the late rapper’s murder.
The legendary west-coast rapper was murdered in 1996 at the age of 25 after being shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Duane “Keffe D” Davis was arrested in Nevada and charged with ordering Tupac’s murder last September, marking a major breakthrough in the case which had remained unsolved for 27 years.
Davis, a former gang leader, pleaded not guilty to the charge of open murder with use of a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement and claimed that his past comments regarding the shooting were simply “entertainment”.
Along with his hefty bail, a judge has said that he can be released on house arrest before his trial, which is set for June 3, 2024 (per BBC).
During a hearing on Tuesday (January 9), in which Davis was in attendance, his lawyers argued that he should be released due to him being a grandfather, adding that the 60-year-old is not dangerous and would not flee to avoid trial if freed from jail (per KLEW).
His attorneys – who were court appointed – also asked that his bail be set at roughly $100,000 (£78,641). They also added that Davis is in a health decline following a cancer diagnosis and claimed that he’s not receiving proper medical attention.
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Prosecutors have claimed that due to him being a former gang leader, Davis did pose a danger to the public. Judge Kierny added that though he has not attempted to flee, his time as a gang member played a role while deciding his bail. “There are lots of people who are still scared of him,” Judge Kierny said.
Davis was accused of planning the fatal shooting which led to the rapper’s death alongside with his nephew, Orlando Anderson, after a fight with Shakur in a casino. Per BBC, officials have shared security footage which showed Anderson being kicked and punched by several men that night. They claim that the altercation led to the retaliatory shooting of Shakur as he was waiting in his car at a red light.
Elsewhere, a street in Oakland, California has been renamed Tupac Shakur Way, in honour of the late rapper.
The road in question forms a section of the MacArthur Boulevard in the city, close to where Tupac lived in the ’90s.
Tupac’s brother Mopreme Shakur has said that the rapper “considered” signing to Bad Boy Records before his deal with the infamous Death Row Records.
The conflict between Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. is one of the most infamous in rap history. Last month, Mopreme revealed that the rivals were nearly labelmates, telling The Art Of Dialogue that before Tupac signed to Death Row he was “considering” joining the iconic label.