Diddy just dodged another legal nightmare – and this one could’ve dragged him deep into the ongoing trial over Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder.
After weeks of speculation, Las Vegas prosecutors have reportedly decided not to involve the hip-hop mogul in the case against Duane “Keefe D” Davis, despite explosive claims that Diddy offered a $1 million bounty to have Tupac and Suge Knight killed.
The bombshell came from two police interview tapes, where Keefe D casually told LAPD and Vegas officers that Diddy, then going by Puffy, wanted the rap legend “wiped out” during a meeting in Hollywood. But with Diddy recently convicted in New York on charges of transporting women for prostitution – while dodging far more severe racketeering and sex trafficking charges – prosecutors in Vegas are taking a safer route: leaving him out of it.
Sources told The U.S. Sun that the Vegas team once considered using Keefe’s statements to link Diddy to the murder-for-hire angle. But after the New York verdict, they bailed. With no direct evidence – no corroborating witness, no murder weapon, no video footage, and no proof that Keefe was even in Las Vegas that night – the case is already shaky enough. Investigators reportedly scoured everything from hotel billing to surveillance tapes from old casinos, but came up empty.
Keefe’s legal team is leaning hard on that lack of evidence. His lawyer, Carl Arnold, insists there’s zero proof placing his client in Sin City the night Tupac was shot – and that Keefe’s past confessions were just exaggerated tales for clout. “He lied to get attention,” Arnold argues, pointing to Keefe’s habit of calling himself a “shot caller” for the hit. The legal strategy now is to pin the whole case on Keefe’s own words and history, skipping any risky Diddy subplot.
Still, it’s wild how close Diddy came to being dragged back into the media firestorm over one of hip-hop’s most infamous murders. Keefe claimed that Diddy was afraid of Suge Knight and wanted him gone. “We wanted a million,” Keefe said in the interviews. “It is nothing.” Officers even asked who set the price, and Keefe replied, “S**t, he did. It wasn’t me.”
Tupac, 25, was gunned down on the Las Vegas Strip in September 1996 while riding shotgun with Suge. He died days later in the hospital. The case stayed cold for decades – until Keefe cracked in 2008, telling a gang task force he’d orchestrated the hit. Now, with Keefe awaiting trial and pleading not guilty, prosecutors are banking on his past confessions to seal the deal.
Meanwhile, Diddy has his own problems. The recent sex trafficking scandal may not have led to the worst-case scenario – life behind bars – but it’s already torched his finances. Experts estimate that civil settlements, including the $20 million paid to ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, have drained a massive chunk of his once-billion-dollar empire.
Attorney Eric Faddis warned that Diddy may face more civil cases soon, and paying those off could be a struggle. “There’s going to be a collectability issue,” he told The U.S. Sun, adding that even if Diddy wanted to countersue for defamation or malicious prosecution, it wouldn’t be smart. “He should just move on.”
So while Diddy escapes being roped into the Tupac murder trial – for now – his legal headaches are far from over. The courtroom drama continues for Keefe D, who’s set to face trial in February. But don’t expect to see Diddy in that witness chair.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.