CONTROVERSIAL music mogul and felon Suge Knight is wanted as a star defense witness for Tupac murder suspect Keefe D, The U.S. Sun can reveal.
Duane "Keefe D" Davis's new defense lawyer has vowed to persuade Suge, who is the only living witness to Tupac’s assassination in 1996, to take the stand in the upcoming trial.
Veteran criminal attorney Carl Arnold said he will visit the infamous rap executive and the former Death Row Records boss at San Diego's RJ Donovan Correctional Facility state prison soon to discuss speaking on his client’s behalf.
Suge, who is currently serving 28 years for a fatal hit and run, has publicly stated he will not give evidence at trial and urged police to “free” the 60-year-old Compton Crip gang lord.
Arnold revealed that his defense will center on proving that there is no evidence to support Keefe was in the car, where the fatal shots were fired, or even in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996.
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The incredible twist comes after Keefe, sometimes spelled as Keffe D, ditched his public defenders for respected criminal law attorney Arnold.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S Sun, Arnold said, "Believe you me, I will be visiting Mr. Knight, introducing myself and seeing if I can somehow get his testimony in that Las Vegas courtroom.
“Here's the guy that can turn to his right and tell us if Duane Davis was in that car or not.
“All I need for him to say is absolutely not."
Arnold, who was a former US assistant attorney in San Diego, admits he has hundreds of hours of preparation for the trial ahead.
He feels that any statement from Suge, who backed the careers of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, could be vital in clearing his client from a potential life sentence.
"Believe you me, I will be visiting Mr. Knight, introducing myself and seeing if I can somehow get his testimony in that Las Vegas courtroom."
Keefe D's lawyer Carl Arnold
Suge, who was driving the white Cadillac alongside Tupac when it was shot up in 1996, has always refused to cooperate with Vegas Metro Police, LAPD, and federal agents regarding his eyewitness testimony.
Asked how he expects to persuade Suge to talk, he said, “Well, I'm going to pull every favor, everything I can to make sure that happens...and not only talk to me and be able to testify at the time of trial."
VIDEO TESTIMONY
Arnold, who has run a legal practice in Henderson for 20 years, added that he would like Suge to attend the trial at the Las Vegas District Court.
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“I would like that. I don't believe because he's incarcerated that's possible, but still now you can bring him in by video," he said.
“So he could come from his jail cell under my examination, and subject to cross-examination from the DA, be able to provide eyewitness testimony as to Mr. Davis not being in the car. “
When asked if Keefe was in the car at the time of Tupac’s shooting, Arnold replied, “I am sure he wasn’t. There’s no evidence of it.
“Not only [was he] not in the car, he was not in Las Vegas at the time."
Keefe, who has pleaded not guilty to Tupac's murder, confessed to police in 2008 that he was a central figure in Tupac’s murder as well as in his memoir and many media interviews.
'AIN'T GONNA TELL THE STORY'
In October, Suge spoke with TMZ from prison after Keefe’s September arrest and said he was “surprised.”
"I didn’t think Keefe would ever get arrested..nor do I want to see him arrested," Suge said.
“Whatever the circumstances if he did have an involvement with anything or if he didn’t have any involvement with anything I wouldn’t wish somebody going to prison on my worst enemy."
Suge admitted he had no plans then to be a witness for either the defense or prosecution
“I ain’t gonna tell the story," he said.
“I am not going to get on the stand and testify on somebody.”
Suge, 58, refused to acknowledge whether Keefe had any role in his friend’s killing or even rode in the Cadillac where the Glock pistol was fired from.
CHILDHOOD PALS
Keefe and Suge were friends in Compton as children, playing together on the same football team.
Once Suge went to war with P Diddy’s Bad Boy label in New York during the East-West Coast rap war, Keefe aligned with the East Coast.
It meant that Keefe, who became one of Los Angeles’ biggest drug kingpins, and his gang would provide protection for Diddy and his acts.
RAP WARS
Suge waged war on his rivals with often violent attacks and fights.
One of those beatings led to Tupac, Suge, and other gangsters beating Keefe's nephew Orlando Anderson up at the MGM Grand Hotel after a Mike Tyson fight on September 16.
Keefe wrote in his memoir that he found a gun and led the hunt for Tupac with Orlando to seek revenge for the beatdown.
In the book, named Compton Street Legend, Keefe detailed how he helped coordinate a team of fellow gangsters to hit and kill Pac and Suge.
Later after encountering the rap icon by chance, Keefe revealed that shots were fired from behind him into Suge and Tupac's vehicle as they were driving along the Strip.
Keefe has pleaded not guilty to the crime and was granted bail which was set at $750,000.
He is currently still being held at Clark County Detention Center while he waits for his bail to be posted.
