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The alleged Southern California gang leader charged in the 1996 fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday with legal representation from one of the city’s most prominent political families, known for their clientele that includes mobsters, athletes, and other high-profile individuals.
Attorney Ross Goodman has informed The Associated Press that he will be defending Duane “Keffe D” Davis against the accusations of orchestrating the drive-by killing of the iconic rap musician, Tupac Shakur. Goodman mentioned that Davis will not immediately enter a plea, and he intends to request an additional two weeks to finalize his representation for Davis’ case.
Davis, aged 60 and originally from Compton, California, was arrested on September 29th near his residence in suburban Henderson. During his encounter with a police officer wearing a body camera, Davis mentioned that he had moved to the area in January due to his wife’s involvement in opening grocery stores in Nevada.
Edi Faal, Davis’ longtime personal attorney in Los Angeles, previously mentioned his efforts to help Davis find legal representation in Nevada. Faal has now confirmed Goodman’s involvement.
Goodman, a lawyer with over two decades of experience, is the son of former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and the current Mayor Carolyn Goodman. Throughout his career, he has handled a variety of high-profile cases, including a plea deal in August that resolved a felony gun charge for former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette with a guilty plea to two misdemeanors.
His father, Oscar Goodman, is a renowned lawyer who represented mob figures, including Anthony “Tony the Ant” Spilotro, before serving three terms as mayor. He was famously seen making public appearances with a martini in hand and a showgirl on each arm.
Spilotro served as the basis for a character in the 1995 film “Casino.” He faced allegations of skimming from resort receipts and led a notorious break-in ring known as the “Hole in the Wall Gang” before disappearing in June 1986, along with his brother, Michael Spilotro. Their bodies were discovered buried in an Indiana cornfield, and a reputed Chicago mob boss was convicted in 2007 for both murders.
Ross Goodman has also represented Chris Lammons, a cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts, and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara when they pleaded guilty in July to misdemeanors to resolve a felony battery case stemming from a man’s beating at a Las Vegas nightclub just before the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl.
In July, a police raid at Davis’ residence rekindled interest in the unsolved murder of Shakur, one of the enduring mysteries in hip-hop music. Davis’ indictment marked the first arrest ever made in connection to Shakur’s death and has also raised questions about the unsolved killing of Notorious B.I.G., or “Biggie Smalls,” whose legal name is Christopher Wallace. Wallace, a rival rapper, was killed in Los Angeles in March 1997.
Although Davis has denied involvement in Wallace’s murder, he has publicly described his role in Shakur’s death in recent years, including in interviews and a 2019 memoir that detailed his life as the leader of a Crips gang sect in Compton. Davis is the only living person among the four men who were in the car from which shots were fired at Shakur and rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight.
Shakur succumbed to his injuries a week after the shooting at the age of 25, while Knight was wounded but survived. At the age of 58, Knight is serving a 28-year prison sentence for the 2015 death of a Compton businessman.
