Tupac Shakur Murder: Former Lead Investigator Says Notorious B.I.G. Murder Harder To Prosecute Than Rival's

By Rick Martin First Posted: Oct 04, 2023 12:13 AM EDT

The topic of Tupac Shakur's murder reignited after Las Vegas police arrested and indicted Duane "Keffe D" Davis for the rapper's murder. This has also caused people to start talking about the murder of Tupac's rival, the Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls.

Retired LAPD detective Greg Kading, who led the investigation into the Notorious B.I.G.'s murder, spoke with Rolling Stone magazine and stated that this second murder was "likely the result of a smaller conspiracy that would be much harder to prove and prosecute than the one that took Shakur's life."

"I don't think it's going to have any carry-over," said the former detective. "It's a different set of circumstances and people."

Kading then noted that Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight, who was with Tupac the night he was shot, is a potential witness to Biggie's murder, along with the alleged shooter, Wardell "Poochie" Fourse, and a woman named Theresa Swann. However, getting all three to testify is almost impossible.

Suge Knight is essentially spending his life in prison, while Fourse has been dead since 2003. Meanwhile, Kading explained that Swann might not be a reliable witness on the stand. He concluded that the case might be "unprosecutable" due to these factors surrounding the witnesses.

Kading led a joint LAPD, DEA, and FBI task force to investigate the Notorious B.I.G.'s murder. It was created in the early 2000s before getting disbanded in April 2010. He then used Swann's statements as part of his 2011 book, "Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations."

Suge Knight Will Not Testify Against Tupac Shakur Murder Suspect Duane Davis

Imprisoned Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight is still in prison for a deadly 2015 hit-and-run crash and is serving a 28-year sentence for manslaughter. He was with Tupac on the night he was killed in that deadly drive-by shooting,

Knight spoke with TMZ for a jailhouse interview regarding Davis's arrest.

"I'm not going to get on the stand and testify ... 1,000% I wouldn't go," he told the entertainment outlet. "I wouldn't testify, none of that s-t."

"At the end of the day ... free Keefe D," he said, calling on the police to release Davis.

He also told TMZ that he was surprised by the arrest and said that he and Davis once "played on the same football team."

"And whatever the circumstances, if he did have involvement or if he didn't have involvement in anything ... I wouldn't wish someone going to prison on my worst enemy," Knight added.

Tupac Shakur Friend Questions Why It Took Almost 30 Years To Arrest Suspect

Duane Davis was said to be the mastermind behind Tupac Shakur's murder in 1996, which was one of the biggest unsolved cases in the world. One of Tupac's old friends before he was famous, Mark Skeete, spoke at an interview and questioned why the arrest took so long.

"He was a dancer and a roadie, and he would go around freestyling for anyone he could freestyle for," Skeete said in the interview. "He was a good friend to all of us." He then added, "'Pac was a special one."

Skeete also said that the killing was "devastating" and that Davis's murder would finally give justice to the late rap legend's family. However, he wondered why it took 27 years.

"The streets had the answers. The streets knew all along who did what, and how it happened," Skeete said.

Davis is the uncle of the shooter, Orlando Anderson. He was also at the back of the car when the drive-by shooting happened. His nephew denied killing Tupac and was subsequently killed two years later during an unrelated gang shooting in California.