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Keefe D dragged Diddy’s alleged fear of Suge Knight into court with a claim about Navy SEAL bodyguards.
Keefe D, whose legal name is Duane Davis, told Los Angeles investigators during a 2008 proffer that Diddy still wanted the South Side Crips for protection despite having trained security nearby.
Kading asked, “Now, why does he… if he’s got these Navy SEALs guys out there protecting him, why does he call you and ask you for protection?”
Davis answered, “Would you rather have some Navy SEALs or some gangsters?”
Davis then explained his preference: “You would want the gangsters, ’cause the blood’s they would tear his ass up.”
Davis placed that security arrangement after Jai “Big Jake” Robles was fatally shot outside an Atlanta nightclub in September 1995.
The Los Angeles Times later reported investigators saw Robles’ killing as the event that pushed the Bad Boy-Death Row dispute toward bloodshed.
Asked why Diddy needed more protection, Davis said, “Well, to protect him. He was that scared of that dude.” Detective Daryn Dupree asked, “He had hired the Navy SEALS?” Davis answered, “I swear to God.”
Davis continued, “He told me they was Navy SEALS. They had on their little ear things and everything.”
Davis also described a Hilton hotel gathering before Tupac’s killing where Diddy allegedly spoke about wanting Knight and Tupac dead.
Kading pressed for the exact wording: “What did you actually hear? What was the words? If… the best you can remember what he says.”
Davis replied, “Shit, he said he’d give us anything for those dude’s head, you know?” Kading asked, “He’d give you anything for these guys’ head?”
Davis described the room: “He was in the main…he had the Navy SEALS in one room over here…in that middle room.”
Thursday’s testimony showed that Davis described another alleged Diddy conversation, separating those hotel remarks from his later, more specific $1 million claim.
Dupree placed the alleged solicitation at Greenblatt’s Deli, and detectives later used Davis undercover while unsuccessfully trying to confirm the payment through Eric “Von Zip” Martin.
Earlier AllHipHop coverage detailed Davis’ accusation that Diddy promised a $1 million bounty for Tupac and Knight through Martin.
Diddy was never charged in Tupac’s killing and told AllHipHop in 2011, “The story is pure fiction and completely ridiculous.”
Keefe D reached trial through an LAPD investigation that originally focused on Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace’s 1997 murder. During his 2008 session, Davis denied involvement in Biggie’s death but began describing what he claimed happened to Tupac.
On July 28, Judge Carli Kierny cleared the 2008 recording for trial over defense objections tied to Davis’ cooperation deal.
After more public interviews and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, Davis was taken into custody in Nevada during September 2023.
Prosecutors say Davis organized retaliation after Tupac and others attacked his nephew Orlando Anderson following the Mike Tyson fight at MGM Grand.
His defense says Davis exaggerated his role for money and attention, while prosecutors are using his recorded statements and book against him.
His plea remains not guilty, and a conviction could leave Keefe D serving life under Nevada’s murder charge tied to gang activity.
Proceedings could stretch across roughly four weeks while prosecutors continue presenting witnesses in Clark County District Court.
