Law&Crime Sidebar - 9 Times P. Diddy Was Named in 'Keefe D' Tupac Filing

Starting point is 00:00:00 Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. I'm in a life situation, and I will say anything save my life. The man known for giving interviews about his apparent involvement in the murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur is going to trial for murder nearly 30 years later. But D. Davis is trying his best to shift the blame off of himself. And on to another embattled and more high-profile suspect, Sean Diddy Combs. We are taking a closer look at all the times Davis' attorneys brought up Combs in Davis' motion to dismiss the case. Welcome to Sidebar.

Starting point is 00:00:45 Presented by Law and Crime, I'm Jesse Weber. D. Davis will not have a murder charge thrown out after he and his lawyers filed a motion to have the case dismissed. Nope. Davis is accused of being the shot caller back in 1996, passing a gun from the front seat to the back seat so that a fellow alleged gang member could open fire on Tupac Shakur and Shug Knight in another car. This was out in Las Vegas. And that is the allegation from prosecutors almost 30 years later. And over the years, Davis has not only written a tell-all book about his alleged involvement in Shikor's death, but he's also granted interviews to YouTubers and documentarians who wanted the inside-score. on one of the most notorious and then unsolved murders of the 90s. So Amazon, uh, Compton Street Legends, and it's going to be in a Barnes and Oval's September the 15th.

Starting point is 00:01:40 Yeah. It's a good read and it's the truth and it's stamped, oh boy, you know what I'm saying? It ain't, I got no reason to lie. Everybody's saying this and this and that. But when nobody there for me. Now Davis was arrested at his home outside of Las Vegas in September. of 2023. And at the time of Shakur's murder, Davis had lived in Compton, California, was reportedly something of a drug kingpin in that area. Police say he was the leader of a sect of the Crips gang.

Starting point is 00:02:10 Davis and several associates ended up traveling to Las Vegas to see the infamous Mike Tyson bout that was going on. And after Shakur apparently jumped Davis' nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas after the fight actually captured on video from there, Davis. has said that he was ready to throw down and get even. So Shakur, as we know, was shot multiple times while he was in the passenger seat of a car at a stoplight. He died several days later out in the hospital. The driver Shug Knight, the head of death row records, was injured, but he ended up surviving. Now, Davis's attorneys had made multiple arguments in their motion to dismiss this case, including that Las Vegas prosecutors waited more than 25 years to file charges

Starting point is 00:02:55 against Davis. And while, of course, there's no statute of limitations on murder, they say the fact that they waited shows that there's something wrong in this case. The defense implied that the prosecution acted maliciously in ultimately prosecuting Davis. During one court hearing, Davis himself called out the people investigating him. I mean, he hung the on the inside my family in this. They did my daughter at first, did my son, then they just did my wife to laugh there. The, uh, what's they talking about these? David Westbrook talking about these dudes.

Starting point is 00:03:29 He said, they're not only, only ugly on our side, but they're ugly on the inside, too. These two dudes right here. And then there was another argument that the defense made, and this was a big one. This was that prosecutors and investigators had allegedly offered Davis immunity. Here's a little bit of background on that. So Davis apparently went to prison in the late 90s on drug charges. He spent about five years inside, and when he got out, he allegedly got right back into the drug game. When investigators brought him in for questioning, they offered him a proffer.

Starting point is 00:04:00 Basically, you tell us some information, and we won't charge you. Davis says he eventually became a confidential informant to a task force that was investigating the murder of Biggie Smalls. So this is Shakur's main rival at Bad Boy Records out in New York, and we know that Biggie Smalls was actually gunned down in Los Angeles. But prosecutors countered Davis's claims by saying there's no proof of any sort of immunity offer here and that even if Davis had been offered some kind of protection from prosecution in California or the federal court system, that wouldn't apply to his case in Nevada. And the judge agreed, opting not to throw out the case denying the defense's motion. You know, when we talk about court cases like Dwayne Davis is here, it is so important that we have

Starting point is 00:04:44 all the facts and that we don't just fall into the trap of bias. or conjecture, and that is why we are thrilled to partner with a company like Straight Arrow News. So this is an app and website that is focused on objective, unbiased reporting. And just like Sidebar, they've been covering all the legal drama surrounding Sean Combs since the beginning, from his sexual assault cases to his friend and fellow rapper Jay-Z getting drawn into the mix. Now, as somebody who's always doing research for Sidebar, I know how easy it is to get lost in biased journalism. Straight Hour News, they help cut through that with tools like the media landscape, which shows where outlets fall in the political spectrum.

Starting point is 00:05:17 The media is tool, highlighting stories that mainstream media might be skipping. So you can check it out for yourself. You just got to go to saan.com slash sidebar or click the link in the description. Listen, supporting them means supporting journalists like us who are committed to delivering the truth. One of the most interesting things

Starting point is 00:05:34 to come out of that motion to dismiss, though, is just how many times Davis talked about Sean Diddy Combs over the years, the disgraced rapper and music mogul that we have been focusing upon a lot here on Sidebar, currently in a detention center on federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering and prostitution headed to trial out in May. But I want to talk about what Davis has to say about him. What he has to say about, I should say, Puffy.

Starting point is 00:06:00 That's one of the many monikers that Combs has adopted over the years, and that's how he refers to him in this filing. So Combs started his meteoric rise to stardom in the early 90s as well. started bad boy records now bad boy entertainment out in new york there was the big east coast west coast beef death row versus bad boy and davis says that combs used that as an excuse to put out a hit an assassination order on tupac chicore and shug night so let's take a look at what davis had to say about combs and a little bit of note about this so davis is told many versions of his story to police over the years changing some details leaving other details out got to take that with a grain of salt about his credibility. Sometimes he would admit the things, sometimes denying them. Again, just take that for what it is. In fact, I will also tell you, the state talks about that in their opposition to the motion to dismiss, which says on December 18, 2008, defendant was interviewed by task force officers at his lawyer's office. This interview was surreptitiously recorded by

Starting point is 00:07:00 LAPD Detective William Holcomb. During this interview, defendant confessed in detail about his involvement in the murder of Tupac Shakur consistent with his book and subsequent YouTube.com statements. And what Davis revealed in an interview with the Art of Dialogue YouTube channel in 2021 is that his nephew, Orlando Anderson, shot Shakur from the backseat of the rented Cadillac. But during an interview with the FBI in 1999, Davis apparently said something completely different. According to the FBI report, which was included in the motion to dismiss, Anderson was not involved in the shooting death of Tupac Shakur, and neither Davis nor his group killed Shakur or Christopher Wallace, aka notorious B.I.G. Davis does not know who killed the two rap stars. He believes that either individuals from New York associated with Puffy Combs or individuals associated with death row records could have killed Shakur and that individuals associated

Starting point is 00:07:50 with death row records killed Wallace. Okay, so again, changing stories. And by the way, Davis goes on to say that he was introduced to Combs in the early 90s by a man named Eric Zip Martin. This is another alleged drug dealer. And this is where we get into it. So the report reads, in or around 1992, Martin introduced Davis. to Sean Puffy Combs. Davis recalls the introduction occurring at the Paradise Nightclub

Starting point is 00:08:13 on Santa Monica Boulevard. After speaking with Combs, Davis agreed to allow Combs to use his 1964 Chevy in a music video. The video featured the artist Usher. After the vehicle was damaged in the production of the video, Combs paid $2,500 to have it repaired. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping audible original series. When a reunion at an abyss, Abandoned Island Hotel turns deadly. Rousseau must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the Grandview shadows.

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Starting point is 00:09:13 know, sometimes violent and extreme. And that moves us now to this DEA report. So there was a DEA report from a 2008 task force meeting with Davis that was also included as an exhibit in the motion. And in it, Davis talks about the murder of a man named Jai Robles. This is Knight's bodyguard. He was killed in Atlanta in 1995. And according to Davis, he'd heard a rumor that an associate of Combs had killed Robles. The report says Combs requested to speak to Davis and asked Davis if he thought it was safe for Combs to come to Los Angeles for a concert. Combs expressed his concerns about night and possible retaliation related to the Robles murder. Davis advised Combs that he would provide 40 or 50 tickets to the concert.

Starting point is 00:09:56 Davis could provide an entourage. Combs agreed and Davis and his crew in fact attended the concert in support of Combs. Davis recalls the concert taking place in Anaheim, California. event that Combs began to solicit Davis to kill Knight and Shakur. Combs asserted something to the effect of, I'll give anything for those dudes heads. Quote, at a later date, Dwayne Davis, Eric Martin, Corey Edwards, Sean Combs, and others met at Greenblatt's restaurant in Hollywood. Well, at the restaurant, Combs summoned Davis into the downstairs area. Combs again told Davis that he needed to get rid of Knight and Shakur. Combs offered Davis one million dollars. to handle the problem. Davis remembers Combs being very afraid of night.

Starting point is 00:10:42 So after the car that Knight and Shakur were in was hit by a hail of bullets back in 1996, Davis says that Combs wanted to know if that was the result of him allegedly putting out a hit on Shakur. The task force report states, well, at the restaurant, Martin told Davis that Combs had called Martin and asked, was that us? Davis asked Martin when he would receive compensation for the shooting. Martin told Davis he would get the money when he returns to New York. Additionally, while at the restaurant, Combs called Martin again. Martin then handed the phone to Davis. Combs again inquired, was that us?

Starting point is 00:11:18 Davis recalled Combs sounding elated at the situation. Again, this is all allegations, but quite a allegation nonetheless. Now, Davis reportedly told the investigators that even though the job had been partially completed and Shakur was killed, he nor Anderson ever got paid. He later revealed that he believes Combs paid the go-between, again, Zimp Martin, who allegedly kept it for himself. So we mentioned a moment ago that an LAPD officer had recorded statements that Davis made in 2008. The state included a transcript of that interview in its filing.

Starting point is 00:11:50 And in the transcript, W.H refers to Wayne Higgins. This is Davis's lawyer during the interview. Q refers to the questions and the A's are Davis's answers. Okay, so it says, W.H. Okay. Now go on and ask whatever you want. Q. Um, Puffy Combs. A. Yeah. Q. Does he play a role in this thing? W.H. Answer the question directly. Tell him what you think. A. Did he play a role in this? W.H. Don't hesitate. Just tell him. Question. Yes. Answer. Yeah. I think he did. And later in the interview, Davis said, yeah, I feel, I wish, I wish it would never ever, I wish I never met Puff Dad. Period. I swear to God. Question. Yeah? Answer. He messed up my life, man. I was rich up and under the radar, all that man. Question, that's all gone. Answer, it's all gone. Now, what about Combs' alleged involvement in the death of Biggie Smalls, legal name Christopher Wallace? Okay? This was a big one. Smalls

Starting point is 00:12:52 was gunned down in a drive-by shooting out in Los Angeles in March of 1997. You might be saying, I thought they were friends, right? Anybody who followed this? We did a whole sidebar on this, But Gene Deal, a former bodyguard for Combs, who has recently started doing interviews and offering theories on Combs' alleged bad behavior, now says the rapper could have been involved in killing Biggie. So Deal, who was reportedly Combs' bodyguard from 1991 to 2005, sat down for the documentary, Diddy, the making of a bad boy that aired on Peacock. And according to him, Combs was acting weird in the lead up to Biggie's murder. He says in the documentary, the week in which Biggie was murdered, he was just acting real angry. and trying to get big at this party. And what was crazy was, Big was telling people he had to be in London,

Starting point is 00:13:34 but Puff was telling people he ain't going to London that whole week. He fast forward to the day of the party, and Deal says, I'm sitting up at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and I get a phone call. It's about 9 o'clock, and they say, Gene, get ready. We go into the vibe party. I was like, we go into the party. We don't have no security. But according to Deal, tried to warn Combs, this probably wasn't a good idea.

Starting point is 00:13:54 I say, yo, Puff, I got some intel, bruh. He said what? I said, yo, man, if we go to this party night, one of us is going to get killed. Somebody going to die, because now we got East Coast, West Coast beef. He said, yo, Gene, I don't want to hear that S, so we all jump in the car. I was in a car with Puff. Bigg was in his own car. And the next thing you know, you hear pow, pow, pow, pow. Biggie was shot four times, died right after arriving at the hospital.

Starting point is 00:14:19 And according to Deal, Combs showed up the hospital, seemed shocked that Biggie was dead. And we asked celebrity criminal defense attorney Brian McMonigal about this latest accusation against Combs, who's already facing these three federal charges related to the so-called freak-off activity. And again, he's facing dozens of civil lawsuits. But here's what Brian had to say. I don't see this. You know, this is a 30-year-old accusation. And it seems to me that it's getting to a point where Diddy is concerned, where it's

Starting point is 00:14:54 dangerously getting to piling on in a way that I think might just help him. As I thought about this last night, once I saw the article in the post and was referenced on the documentary, it seems to me that there are a lot of people now that are jumping on this bandwagon of making what I would say are baseless allegations against this guy. This one in particular, just smells to me. Did this guy say any of this stuff over the past 30 years to anybody in law enforcement? Has there ever been any kind of a suggestion that he was involved by law enforcement? It seemed to me that he was in a close relationship with Biggie and that if anything, he was on the other side of this East Coast, West Coast fight. So the one thing that I would say about it is

Starting point is 00:15:53 just bringing this kind of full circle to this upcoming trial. They're going to be looking for things like this, the defense in this trial. They're going to be looking for accusations that are stretched. They're going to looking for moments that they can disprove things. And make no mistake about it, there'll be a few things like that, and hope that that'll give them the kind of strength and ability to diffuse perhaps as many of these allegations as they can where this indictment's concerned. Now, to be clear about something, Combs has always denied any involvement in the deaths of Tupac and Biggie, and he certainly has not been arrested or charged in connection with their deaths in any way. As for Davis, we go back to him. It's going to be up to his attorneys to decide

Starting point is 00:16:42 if they will appeal the judge's denial of their motion to the state Supreme Court. In the meantime, Davis has been denied bail, so he's going to be sitting in a Las Vegas jail until his trial, which is scheduled to begin in March. We'll keep our eye on it. But that's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time. Thank you.

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Law&Crime Sidebar - 9 Times P. Diddy Was Named in 'Keefe D' Tupac Filing

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