Former LAPD Officer Recalls Keefe D’s Confession Naming Diddy in Tupac’s Murder

Former Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Greg Kading revisited the chilling confession from Duane “Keefe D” Davis, which implicated music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in the 1996 murder of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur.

Kading shared these insights in an editorial feature with New York magazine, shedding light on one of the most notorious unsolved cases in hip-hop history.

Kading, who retired from the LAPD in 2010, was deeply involved in the investigations of both Tupac Shakur’s and The Notorious B.I.G.’s murders. His investigative journey took a turn in 2008 when he managed to extract a secret confession from Davis, a known member of the Crips gang.

In this confession, Davis alleged that Diddy had offered him and his gang members $1 million to kill Tupac and Suge Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records.

According to Davis, during a meeting with Diddy, the Bad Boy Records founder expressed his desire to see “them dudes’ heads.” Davis recalled his confident reply to Diddy, stating, “Man, we’ll wipe their a** out quick.”

He even told Kading later that he would have completed the hit for as little as $50,000.

Despite the gravity of Davis’s confession, legal constraints prevented it from being used in court. A proffer agreement, which Davis entered into, meant that his admission could not lead to his prosecution, as long as he cooperated with the authorities.

This legal technicality allowed Davis to avoid immediate consequences for years, until his arrest in 2023 brought the matter back into the spotlight.

Diddy Denials and Current Allegations

Kading’s investigation uncovered that the motive behind Tupac’s murder was not just a hit-for-hire but also personal retaliation. Tupac and members of the Bloods gang had physically assaulted Davis’s nephew, Orlando Anderson, following a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas.

Seeking revenge, Anderson fatally shot Tupac with a gun provided by their close associate, Eric “Von Zip” Martin.

Davis further revealed that shortly after the shooting, Combs reached out to Martin to confirm their involvement, asking, “Was that us?” Despite the personal nature of the revenge, Davis still pursued the promised $1 million bounty from Diddy, which was never paid.

Davis now faces trial for his role in Tupac’s murder, with the trial set to begin in November. However, Kading believes that Davis might strike a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid a lengthy trial. “They’ll give him a sweet offer just to put this thing to rest,” Kading speculated. “The whole thing will be anticlimactic.”

Throughout the years, Combs has consistently denied any involvement in Tupac’s murder, dismissing Davis’s allegations as “nonsense.” However, the resurgence of legal troubles and lawsuits against Combs has renewed interest in Davis’s claims.

The Bad Boy Records founder is currently embroiled in multiple legal battles, including accusations of sexual assault, physical abuse, and sex trafficking, which have further complicated his public image.

The rivalry between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records in the 1990s, led by Suge Knight and Sean Combs respectively, was marked by intense competition and escalating violence.

The murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. remain two of the most significant and tragic events in hip-hop history. The revelations from Kading and Davis add another layer of complexity to these long-standing mysteries.

As the trial date approaches, the hip-hop community and the public at large continue to watch closely, seeking closure on these decades-old cases. Whether Davis’s claims will be substantiated in court remains to be seen, but the allegations have undoubtedly cast a long shadow over Diddy’s legacy in the music industry.