U.S. rapper Sean âDiddyâ Combs was further implicated in new court documents that claimed he paid $1 million to have Tupac Shakur assassinated in 1996.
Mr Combsâ name appeared in the records over 75 times.
Key suspect Duane âKeefe Dâ Davis, who was apprehended in Tupacâs murder probe last year, said Diddy had funded his rivalâs assassination on September 7, 1996, according to court documents obtained by U.S. Sun.
Pseudonyms ranging from Puff Daddy, P Diddy and Diddy were mentioned in the documents filed on July 18, where the first reference indicated that there was already bad blood between Diddy and Tupac.
The âdeadly rivalryâ between Diddyâs Bad Boy Records on the East Coast and Tupacâs Death Row Records, then owned by Marion âSugeâ Knight on the West Coast, was not a secret in the hip-hop industry.
Keefe told law enforcement that Diddy paid $1 million to another gangster, Eric Von Martin, to kill Tupac.
According to Keefeâs account in court records, Diddy reached out after the news of Tupacâs assassination broke, asking whether it was âusâ or another rival gang.
âSean Combs reaches out to Defendant wondering if South Side Crips were responsible for Shakurâs death by asking, âIs that us?â,â court records showed. âDefendant, beaming with pride, answers, âYesâ.â
Keefe had willingly given up the information under the assumption that he had immunity from prosecution, which had now backfired and could be used to convict him.
âDefendant( Keefe) asserted that the conspiracy to commit the murder began in California between Defendant, Eric âZipâ Martin, and Sean Combs,â court filings stated
Keefe admitted to LA police detectives that his nephew Orlando âBaby Laneâ Anderson âpopped the dude (Tupac), narrating in detail how his nephew âleaned over, rolled down the window, and popped them.â
âDefendant [Keefe] has asserted publicly that he only told on himself and wasnât trying to provide evidence against anyone else in his conversations with police. However, this statement belies this claim, as he suggested that Sean Combs paid Eric Von Martin a million dollars for the killings,â the court records stated.
When police questioned him, asking, âWhen you said paid, paid by Puffy, right?â Keefe responded with a âYeah,â court records showed.
âI wish I never met Puff Daddy, period. I swear to GodâŠHe messed up my life, man. I was, I was rich, up under the radar, all that, manâŠitâs all gone,â court records cited Keefe as saying.