Just When Things Can't Look Worse For P Diddy, Tupac's Murder Suspect Told Police That He Allegedly Paid $1M To Have Tupac Killed, According to Court Docs
Radar - Court filings have revealed that the man charged with Tupac's murder, Keefe D, was a "confidential police informant" who tried to implicate hip hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs in the rapper's death. The damning 179-page document, filed by Las Vegas prosecutors, alleges that Keefe worked undercover with LAPD detectives after volunteering information about his role in Tupac's fatal shooting.
The court papers detail how Keefe, known as Duane Davis, became an informant after getting caught "trafficking a large amount of drugs" by the task force.
Despite denying involvement in Biggie Smalls' murder, Keefe provided a recorded confession to the police about how he and his gang killed Tupac in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. Keefe claimed that Diddy offered him a million dollars for Tupac's murder, which was reportedly paid to a gangster named Eric "Zip" Martin. Prosecutors allege that Keefe even flew to New York in 2009 to corroborate the conspiracy to kill Tupac.
According to prosecutors, Keefe, acting in an "undercover capacity," ran into Zip on the street as he approached his workplace. "Mr. Martin [Zip] greeted Defendant excitedly and they had a social conversation," the court papers claim. "Mr. Martin indicated he was out of the business but directed him to conduct his drug activities with the nephew. Thereafter, Defendant and Mr. Martin socialized in Mr. Martin’s restaurant for several hours." The court filings also implicate Diddy further, with prosecutors summarizing Keefe's interviews to suggest his involvement in orchestrating Tupac's assassination.
Despite Keefe's hopes of being released on bail, a judge denied his request, citing concerns over the source of the funds. Prosecutors are opposing Keefe's release as they present a slew of evidence against him, including newly unearthed information that places him in Las Vegas on the night of Tupac's murder.
The filings mention that Keefe's wife's name was used to book a room at the Monte Carlo Resort, where the murder took place, raising suspicions about his presence at the scene.
Just when you don't think things can get any worse for Sean Puffy Combs, news like this drops. It looks like the chickens are finally coming home to roost.
The man who has finally been arrested and charged with the murder of Tupac Shakur, has been blabbing about his involvement in the infamous drive-by shooting, and according to him, P Diddy was the puppet master pulling the strings.
Ethan Miller. Getty Images.Clem covered this all when it broke, and for anybody unfamiliar with the work of LAPD Detective Greg Kading, the name "Keefe D." meant nothing. Just some random LA gang banger right?
Wrong.
Detective Kading has been ALL OVER this case and cover-up since the jump. He was even the focus of an independent journalist's documentary on the murder back in the early 2000s where he alleged this entire scenario, to a t.
But of course in textbook LAPD fashion, nobody would listen to him, and he was silenced and moved off the case.
Fast forward to a few months ago, when shit really started hitting the fan for Diddy, and out of nowhere, the feds round up Keefe D. They throw him in front of a Grand Jury and apparently, Keefe D's been singing like a canary, hoping to pin the blame for 'Pac's murder on Puff Daddy.
Turns out, he was an undercover informant for the LAPD, trying to get Diddy to spill the beans on Biggie's murder. Now that's a plot twist even M. Night Shyamalan wouldn't see coming.
In a bombshell article from New York Magazine last month, detective Greg Kading revealed that Diddy ordered a hit on Tupac months before the rapper was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, claiming that Duane “Keefe D” Davis admitted to Diddy's involvement in a secret confession.
Under a proffer agreement that barred prosecutors from using his confession in court, Keefe D alleged that Diddy told a room full of Crip gangsters that he wanted "them dudes' heads" and offered him $1 million to kill Tupac and Death Row Records' Suge Knight in 1995.
“Man, we’ll wipe their ass out quick,” Keefe D reportedly told Diddy at the time. But things got personal when Tupac allegedly punched Keefe D's nephew Orlando Anderson in the face during a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand arena in Las Vegas in September 1996.
Keefe D then allegedly obtained a .40-caliber Glock from a drug dealer named Eric “Von Zip” Martin and hit the streets to hunt Tupac down with his nephew, who opened fire and shot the rapper four times, killing him.
After the shooting, Diddy allegedly called Martin to ask, "Was that us?" Keefe D confirmed that it was and demanded the $1 million bounty that Diddy had offered but never received any payment.
Although his confession was protected under the terms of the proffer, Keefe D later publicly admitted to his involvement in Tupac's murder in his memoir and was ultimately arrested and charged with murder in September 2023. He is scheduled to face trial in November.
With Keefe D's trial looming, it seems like the walls are closing in on Diddy.
Keefe D isn't exactly what you'd call a reliable narrator—this guy’s rap sheet is longer than a CVS receipt. But he's been chirping to anyone who'll listen, including the cops, that Diddy wanted "those dudes' heads" on a platter. And apparently, he was serious enough to get his Crip buddies involved, leading to that fateful night in Las Vegas.
According to Keefe, after Tupac got shot, Diddy called him up like, “Yo, was that us?” Real smooth, Puffy. Just casually confirming a murder over the phone like you're checking on a pizza delivery.
One caveat to this entire ordeal that I find crazy, is that 50 Cent, (as usual) was screaming this first, and loudest. Out of nowhere basically when things started to fall apart for Puffy, 50 came right out on record saying Combs paid $1 Million dollars to have Tupac killed.
So, what's Diddy doing while all this is happening? Absolutely nothing. The man is quieter than a mime in a library. His PR team must be in overdrive trying to keep him out of this mess, but silence isn't exactly the best defense here. I mean, if you’ve got nothing to hide, why not come out and clear the air? But no, Diddy’s sitting tight, probably hoping this all blows over.
In the end, this whole situation is like a bad reality show that just won't get canceled. We've got a former rap mogul turned alleged crime boss, a snitch with a penchant for storytelling, and a murder mystery that’s been hanging over the hip-hop world for nearly three decades. And the worst part? We might never get the full story because everyone involved seems to have their own version of the truth.
So, as the trial looms and the rumors fly, one thing's for sure: Diddy’s days of being a Bad Boy might be catching up with him, and no amount of shiny suits or fire flames beats can dance him out of this one.
p.s. - people forget that "Hit 'Em Up" wasn't even Tupac's most direct attack at Puff Daddy and Bad Boy. "Against All Odds" off his Makiaveli album was.
p.p.s. -
UPDATE (7/25/24): police told TMZ that Diddy was never a suspect in Tupac's murder investigation