Suspect indicted in Tupac’s shooting; Woman sentenced for man’s murder, dismemberment – TCD Sidebar
In this episode of True Crime Daily The Sidebar Podcast
Angenette Levy joins host Joshua Ritter to break down the biggest cases making headlines across the nation. They discuss the recent arrest of a suspect in the shooting death of Tupac Shakur, an “obsessed” ex’s conviction for the murder of a Hollywood sex therapist, two teens charged with the hit-and-run death of a former police officer, and a woman’s life sentence following the murder and dismemberment of an intimate partner.
Tweet your questions for future episodes to Joshua Ritter using the hashtag #TCDSidebar.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:00:10]
Hello and welcome to The Sidebar, presented by True Crime Daily, taking you inside the courtrooms of high profile and notorious cases from across the country. I'm your host, Joshua Ritter. I'm a criminal defense lawyer based in Los Angeles and previously an LA County prosecutor for nearly a decade. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at @joshuaritteresq or at joshuaritter.com. We are recording this on Friday, September 29th, 2023.
A lot to go over this week. First, we are going to Green Bay, where a woman is sentenced following her conviction for the meth fueled rape, murder and dismemberment of her former lover. Also, two Las Vegas teens are now facing adult murder charges after allegedly intentionally running over a bicyclist while posting the entire incident on social media. Finally, we have a verdict alert where Gareth Pursehouse has been found guilty for the murder of his former girlfriend, a famous Hollywood sex therapist, in a case where the prosecution alleged she was thrown from a third floor balcony.
But first, in breaking news, something that we just learned about moments ago as we sat down to record this podcast. An arrest has finally been made in the drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur, 27 years after the rapper was gunned down on the Las Vegas Strip.
And so we are delighted today to be joined by Angenette Levy, a Emmy nominated reporter, legal correspondent and host on the Law and Crime Network. I'm really excited to get into this Tupac situation with you because I know you've been following it closely. I know you've been reporting on it. Let me just catch everyone up as to what we know about this. In a shocking development, investigators have announced an arrest in the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur.
Just this morning, authorities arrested Duane "Keffe D" Davis. While the circumstances surrounding the rest have yet been made public, details are expected to be made clear surrounding Davis' indictment later today. The arrest comes nearly two months after police raided a Henderson, Nevada home in connection with the shooting. The search reportedly yielded multiple electronic devices, along with magazines covering Tupac and the shooting, as well as 40 caliber bullets.
Davis, who previously wrote a memoir, I love this, has admitted to being in the vehicle where the fatal shots were fired that killed Tupac, but claims only to be a living witness to the shooting. Angenette, just jump right in. What is your reaction to this? Were you surprised or is this something you saw coming from a mile away?
Angenette Levy:
[00:02:47]
I saw it coming from a mile away. And I'll tell you why. I started looking into this in July. I watched a documentary produced by Mike Dorsey, a very nice guy out in LA, and it was all about Tupac's murder and the murder of Biggie Smalls. And he worked with a retired Los Angeles police detective named Greg Kading on this case. And Greg Kading basically started investigating this years ago because Biggie Smalls' family filed a civil suit against the LAPD saying that a cop was involved in the death of Biggie Smalls, and they wanted millions and millions of dollars because of this. And this was a theory that was floating around.
Well, Greg Kading takes the case on, and he assembles a team to look into it. And he was basically tasked with finding out who really killed Biggie Smalls. Through that investigation, information came to him through sources and later through a proffer from this guy, Duane Davis, whose gang name or street name is Keffe D, that this guy, Orlando Anderson, who was Keffe D's nephew, shot and killed Tupac Shakur after they had been in an argument, a scuffle at the MGM Grand, following a Mike Tyson fight. And it was over this beef about a stolen piece of jewelry or something like that.
And so Keffe D, in his proffer, which means a proffer is something that can't be used to prosecute you. But he told Greg Kading, and the recordings of this proffer were used in the documentary, he told him the whole story. He said, I gave Orlando the gun and we pulled up and he said, I know. He said, I know Suge Knight, who was driving the car that was carrying Tupac, I know him from back in Compton. And he said, Suge Knight looked right at me and was like, oh, no, like, but used worse language than that. And then Orlando from the back seat fired at Tupac and shot him several times. Tupac was dead and was in the hospital for a few days and later passed away when his mom took him off of life support.
And what's interesting about this is that there was a cop that I interviewed, a former Las Vegas Metro Police Department cop who said he was the first officer to get there on the scene. And he said Suge Knight's bleeding from the head. And he, Tupac Shakur opens the door and Tupac Shakur is like literally dying and getting out of the car. And he said he held Tupac in his arms, and he said, who did this to you? And he said, Tupac. It was kind of like gasping and was said something like, F you or something like that. So he was sticking to the street code to the very end.
So Greg Kading learned from Keffe D that Keffe D said, I gave him the gun. It shouldn't have happened, but I gave him the gun and Orlando shot him. Orlando Anderson got killed like a year later. And then they could never use that statement to prosecute Keffe D for his involvement in the murder. Well, then, in the last several years, Keffe D starts granting interviews all over the place, and he wrote a book about it. And it says in his book, I have the book. He says, I threw the gun in the back seat. So he admits to being there.
So I think they're going to prosecute him based on other evidence and the statements he's made outside of the proffer. And also, they did a search warrant at his house not too long ago. And I don't know, there was some stuff recovered, maybe some bullets. We don't know if they're the same bullets. It could be. It could be not. But he's been under the microscope for a long time.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:06:46]
Yeah. Yeah. It's funny. Greg Kading, the detective that you referenced, I was reading a report in an interview with the Associated Press, he said people have been yearning for him to be arrested, talking about Keffe D, for a long time. It's never been unsolved in our minds. It's been unprosecuted. And I thought that was so interesting. This isn't one of those cases where they are still trying to find a suspect. It sounds like for some period of time, everybody in law enforcement knew who they were looking at. It's just did they have enough to prosecute this? Because there is a difference. There's a difference between suspicion and even having evidence of somebody's involvement and whether or not you feel that's going to hold up in court. So you're right. It's no shock to you. It sounds like it's no shock to Kading certainly.
Angenette Levy:
[00:07:39]
No. He knew. He knew it was going to happen, and so did Mike Dorsey. Like, I guess Las Vegas Metro police had gone to Mike Dorsey's house and sat down with him because he's been pushing for this. And I think Greg Kading's been pushing for it, too.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:07:55]
And the thing that -- and we're still dealing with very little information because they're going to have an indictment later today. And I imagine there will be a press conference to follow. But the part that's most confusing to me is all of the things that you're referencing of where they were able to tie him to this murder have existed in their hands for years.
I mean, we're talking some of this evidence they've had for decades. What changed? And you say, well, they just executed the search warrant. And I'm like, okay. So they got some digital devices, they got some bullets and things. I just can't imagine that what was in there, I guess we're going to find out, but it's like what exists that could possibly turn the tide after 27 years that they found in that home. You know what I'm saying?
Angenette Levy:
[00:08:40]
Well, I think they seized electronic devices. And so Keffe D wrote this autobiography and basically, he writes this autobiography, I think, with another person. So there's going to be information on there. And who knows what was said in correspondence and things like that.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:09:03]
My suspicion is that perhaps a new prosecutor got involved. Somebody took another look, said, listen, we've got enough here. Go execute this warrant. If you come back with anything that's even close to corroborating what we're doing, then we're going to go ahead and file on them. Like, I can't imagine that the "smoking gun" was found in that home and changed their minds. I think that's just that they found nothing that eliminated their suspicion. And maybe you're right. Maybe some notes from his memoir that further confirm their suspicions.
Angenette Levy:
[00:09:33]
Yeah. And I think that might be it. I think that's a stretch to say that the bullets were similar or the same. Maybe they were. I mean, that would be insane.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:09:43]
It's a long time to hang on to bullets.
Angenette Levy:
[00:09:45]
Yeah, it really is. But stranger things have happened. I think we just have to wait and see what they say the evidence is. I think the evidence is what came right out of his own mouth.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:09:56]
Yeah, I agree with you. And I think that certainly after this long period of time, enough people have looked it over. They're probably very confident in this case. So it's exciting stuff. We will see what happens. Like we said, developments later today. So we'll keep an eye on that.
Another breaking news. In Los Angeles, a jury has found Gareth Purshouse guilty of the 2020 murder of Hollywood sex and family therapist Amie Harwick. Harwick, the one-time fiancé of actor and Price is Right host, Drew Carey, was found on the patio of her Hollywood Hills home after suffering from manual strangulation and a 20-foot drop from her third-floor balcony. She later died in the hospital.
Pursehouse, who previously dated Harwick nearly a decade before and was the recipient of multiple protective orders issued by the doctor, allegedly rekindled his obsession with Harwick after encountering her by chance at an industry event a month before her death. The defense never denied that Pursehouse broke into Harwick's home the night of her death. However, they alleged the heartbroken man only wanted to talk with her and that Harwick's death was a tragic result of her attempting to escape him. They further alleged that a syringe found at the scene containing a lethal dose of nicotine was intended for use by Pursehouse as a means of committing suicide.
After seven hours of deliberation, the jury delivered their verdict, convicting Pursehouse of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of lying in wait and first degree burglary. Sentencing for Pursehouse is scheduled for December 6th and he faces the potential of life with no possibility of parole. Again, I know this is another case that you are following closely. Were you surprised by this verdict? Did you see it coming? Do you feel the prosecution had done a good enough job on this?
Angenette Levy:
[00:11:46]
This case, yes. I mean, I think it's so disturbing. I don't think that this whole defense of like, oh, well, she was running away from him, and she fell to her own death. I mean, how do you explain her being strangled?
Joshua Ritter:
[00:12:05]
Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I think you point out something that gets missed a lot, the disturbingness of it, that this is a person who dated her briefly.
Angenette Levy:
[00:12:16]
Yes.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:12:17]
Ten years prior and is still this obsessed over her that he broke into her home. I know none of that is like an element of the crime, but the jurors are thinking about that. They're like, this person has got major problems if they're going to break into somebody's home ten years after breaking up with them to have a chat with them. And I just think that the arguments of the defense sounded shallow after that, when you realize how dangerous and scary a situation that is.
Angenette Levy:
[00:12:47]
Yeah, it's incredibly scary. And she had protective orders out on him and things like that. So I think that this is something that people maybe don't take as seriously as they should. And protective orders are only as good as the pieces of paper that they're written on. And I think you know that as a DA, I know that as somebody who covers these crimes. And she obviously was fearful of him. So it's just a disturbing case. It's horrible. I mean, he became obsessed with her, reobsessed with her. It's awful.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:13:23]
Yeah. And again, I like that you highlight the fact that the frustration that people who are the victims of this type of crime, not murder I'm referencing, but stalking, it's very difficult for them. Sometimes they spend years dealing with this because a lot of these people know to go right up to the edge of breaking the law, but not perhaps they get some sort of restraining order against them.
But like you said, it's worth the paper that it's written on. And what do you do? A person's calling me. A person won't leave me alone. A person keeps on showing up an uninvited to my place of work. And here she was dealing with it for ten years, maybe thought it had all gone away. And then he obviously had never forgotten about her and his obsession for her. It's really, really sad.
What do you make, just last question on this, and I'm curious to see if this you may have felt was a turning point with the jury. This deal with the syringe, it was so bizarre to me. A syringe full of nicotine, a lethal dose of nicotine was found as well. Not your typical kind of murder device.
Angenette Levy:
[00:14:36]
No, but it could happen.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:14:36]
But obviously very ominous. Absolutely. Do you think that was a thing that the jurors really concentrated on to that you brought the tools of murder, even if it's not something we typically think of?
Angenette Levy:
[00:14:49]
Yeah, I think so. I think that you're seeing like, why would anybody have this? Nobody carries around a vial or a syringe full of nicotine in a lethal dose. So you went there for a reason. So you went there with a purpose. And maybe the nicotine part didn't work out. But your other plan, the manual strangulation and possibly tossing her over the balcony, that's the part that worked out.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:15:20]
Yeah. This was something that I don't know if they talked about during the trial too, but I wonder if the jurors thought about it. I wonder if the thinking behind nicotine was that it might not be something they would be testing for in a toxicology report they're not exactly looking for.
Angenette Levy:
[00:15:37]
But I think they do. I think if you do a toxicology screen, you're looking for anything that could possibly cause death, right?
Joshua Ritter:
[00:15:45]
Yeah. And I guess that level, if it's enough to kill you, would pop up on a report. It's just, again, of all the things that you would think about bringing to the scene of where somebody's going to commit a murder of a syringe of nicotine just makes it all that more bizarre.
Angenette Levy:
[00:16:04]
Yeah, it certainly does. And that's, I mean if you're going to kill somebody with something, nicotine is not what I would think of using, but obviously there is a such thing as a lethal dose. So he must have had access to that and thought this could be a way I do this. I mean, something probably went wrong, something in his mind, something went awry. And when I say went wrong, I mean obviously something went very wrong. And this poor woman should still be with us. But I'm assuming that maybe he meant to use the syringe full of nicotine and then maybe she fought him off, tried to fight him off, and he did what he did. He strangled her and threw her over the balcony.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:16:47]
No. I think you're definitely right. I don't think his plan, if his plan was to murder her and it sounds like it was, was to strangle her and throw her off the edge. I think he was waiting there with, like you said, that syringe and things went sideways as far as his horrible plan was concerned. Like you said, a really chilling story. At least some justice was served on that. So he'll be sentenced soon. Very scary situation.
And another chilling, scary situation. We turn to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Taylor Schabusiness has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal murder and dismemberment of her former sexual partner, Shad Thyrion. Schabusiness was seen wearing a spit hood in court, presumably to prevent any further incidents during the proceedings, which have been filled with outbursts from the defendant, including a previous attack on her own defense counsel. We have some footage of her antics, if you want to call it that, here in court that we can show to you now.
Male:
[00:17:59]
Stop it. Stop it.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:18:05]
Really disturbing stuff how violent she can become. Throughout the trial, Schabusiness' mental state was highlighted by her defense. However, her plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect was roundly rejected by the jury who convicted Schabusiness in less than an hour. Attorneys for Schabusiness argued against the maximum penalty, reasoning that the defendant was still young enough to turn her life around if given the opportunity.
However, a judge was wary of the potential threat that she posed to the public at large, adding this crime offends human decency. It offends human dignity. It offends the human community. Anything about this surprising to you, Angenette, that with this type of a crime that we would see somebody where a judge would sentence them to life without parole?
Angenette Levy:
[00:18:53]
No. Not at all. I mean, the case is just so disturbing. And what she did is so beyond the pale. I think she's obviously mentally ill, probably used way too many drugs in her time. But she was sitting there smiling and smirking throughout the trial. And I'm thinking to myself, what you did to this guy, you talked about how you were having sex with him and then you strangle him with a dog collar and then you kind of defile him after he's dead and then you dismember him. And I mean, there's just blood all over the place. And I don't understand how anybody could think.
And I know her defense attorney is doing his job. Poor guy. Right. I mean, who wants this case? But he took the case, and he did his best, I think, to defend her. I mean, she admitted to this. Like she is a danger to the public. She needs to be put away for the rest of her life. She's a dangerous, dangerous person.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:19:50]
Yeah. And it highlights too, you hit the nail on the head, she's got problems. I don't think anyone disagrees that she's got some serious mental issues.
Angenette Levy:
[00:20:04]
She has problems I think that cannot be cured.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:20:06]
Correct. But from a legal perspective, that doesn't mean that she's excused from her crimes for her insanity, because she knew what she did. She just, for whatever reason, perhaps her mental illness plays a role in that, but sometimes people are just evil people. And she did this thing, but she knew what she was doing was wrong. She knew she was committing a murder and therefore she's still legally responsible.
And that's the part I think a lot of people kind of get hung up on because as you highlighted, this is just, you know, if I were to describe what I think a crazy person or an insane person would act like, this is it. Right? Including her conduct since then. But for the purposes of the law, and thank God, for all of our safety, that's not the way the law views it. And so she was sentenced to life without parole. Crazy case.
Angenette Levy:
[00:21:06]
I want to see her brain. Like I want somebody who's an expert in damaged brains to like, I need to scan her brain, like somebody who actually knows what they're doing to tell me what is wrong with her.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:21:16]
And obviously, whatever they're doing with her in custody as far as treatment isn't working. I mean, to the point that she shows up for her sentencing with a spit mask on because she cannot be controlled still. There's something incredibly wrong with her. So, and unfortunately, no one was able to diagnose that or treat her for that before she took this man's life.
And our final disturbing case, we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where teens, Jesus Ayala and Jzamir Keys have been charged with murder related to the hit and run death of former Bell, California Police Chief, Andreas Probst. The incident was captured on video allegedly recorded by the teens in which the 65-year-old retired officer is seen riding his bicycle before he's struck from behind by a vehicle.
We have that video footage. We're going to show it to you now. I will say it's incredibly disturbing, but here's a look. The part that is most shocking to me is how they view the whole thing as fun and games. I mean, they are laughing. Completely innocent person.
Angenette Levy:
[00:22:37]
Remember the Iowa case we covered with the kids that beat the Spanish teacher to death?
Joshua Ritter:
[00:22:42]
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Angenette Levy:
[00:22:43]
Yeah. And it's almost similar to that in some respects, because this is not funny. You hit somebody on a bicycle and killed them. I mean, how would this be viewed as funny? Now, obviously, the Spanish teacher thing is in some respects much worse because they beat her to death with a baseball bat. But it's just another thing where you see kids, teenagers behaving very badly and I don't know what's going on.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:23:09]
Without any kind of conscience to be that young and seeming to have zero conscience or remorse or feeling for other people.
Angenette Levy:
[00:23:19]
Yeah. And I don't know if it's an impulsivity thing. I don't know if they regretted it later or only because they got in trouble. But it's very disturbing. And I don't see how -- I don't know if social media is helping contribute to this, where you see these stupid videos on TikTok or Snapchat or Facebook. I don't know. Kids. I'm always told Facebook's for old people these days. So but I'm thinking it's TikTok and Snapchat, and God knows whatever else, Instagram. But it's like, come on. I mean, really?
Joshua Ritter:
[00:23:50]
And ironically enough, the video that they took, which went viral online, is what led to the identification of Ayala, who's now 18, and Keys who's 16, who committed this while they were allegedly in a stolen vehicle. According to police, Ayala bragged about the incident, telling officers the hit and run would only get him "a slap on the wrist", adding he would be out in 30 days. They are both being charged as adults. Ayala, interestingly, has opted for a speedy preliminary hearing.
My biggest thing is I don't know how there's any argument that gets beyond that video. I don't, you know, just trying to kind of present how both sides might approach this. That video gets played in court. And to me, there is nothing that the defense can say to somehow justify, explain or rationalize that to a jury. What do you think?
Angenette Levy:
[00:24:48]
No, there's nothing they can do. I mean, the guys are in the video. They hit this poor person from behind. I mean, had no chance to defend himself. And I'm like, what on earth? Like I mean, what could you say? The only thing they're going to be able to argue is that they are young and stupid, and they made a grave mistake. Even if they thought it was all fun and games when they did this, they'll try to argue, I think, that their brains aren't fully developed in the front, which is true.
And men, they say guys mature more slowly. Some men, they say, are not fully mature in their prefrontal cortex until they're like 25, the part of the brain that controls impulse and stuff like that. So I think that's really their only defense. I mean, what other defense could there be that you can only argue that and even that is not going to get you much. I mean, they killed a former police chief. They're both going to prison for a very long time.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:25:56]
Yeah. No, you're right. I think that is the defense they make. I don't find it to be all that convincing, like you said, but I don't think they really have any other alternatives. But I think that, as you pointed out, especially with it caught on video and us being able to hear how they're talking to each other beforehand, this wasn't like something that they were able to piece together through paint chips or something on the vehicle and they're able to tie it to them. And they can now argue that it was an accident. They gunned this man down in that vehicle and --
Angenette Levy:
[00:26:28]
Correct. Yes.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:26:29]
Any amount of oh, we're just kids, oh, we were peer pressure and whatnot, it's just going to seem so insulting, I think, to a jury. And then, like you point out, not only is he a retired police officer, but he's just a guy going for a bike ride in the middle of the day, bothering no one, doing nothing wrong, driving legally on the side of the road, just going out. He's a retired man, going out for a nice bike ride, and he has his life cut short like this. It's just sickening.
Angenette Levy:
[00:27:05]
Yeah, it's disgusting. And it's something all of us should be able to do is take our bike out for a ride without fear that we're going to be run down by somebody. I know it's probably because I work in news and I've seen too much, but I won't even ride my bike on the street anymore. I mean, it's pathetic. I would love to be able to just do what people do and ride their bikes on the street, but I always go to a trail.
I remember covering a case when I worked in Green Bay where this couple was riding their bikes in the bike lane, just minding their own business and some drunk woman driving more than three times the legal limit smashes into them from behind. The man is thrown over a bridge into the river. He died. His wife was gravely injured. It's just, it's awful. And it's just, I mean, I always tell people and people should be able to go out by themselves and ride a bike in the street, but I always tell people, oh, my God, get on the trail. Just stay on the trails because it's just not safe. I mean, this is just so bad. And it makes you wonder what else have these kids done that they thought was just so funny? What have they done in the past? Is there more there? And they may find out if they download their phones.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:28:25]
And they probably are. And you tie it together well with this idea that when we see crimes where we can easily identify with the victim in the sense that it's like that's something I do every day. There was a horrible case out of Memphis where a woman was just jogging early in the morning and was kidnapped and later found murdered. And that got so much national attention. It's awful.
But I think really the reason why it resonated with so many people is that what more of an innocent, non-threatening thing can you do but go out for an early morning jog when you think it's just going to be abandoned streets and it's peaceful as can be and even then, you're going to be a target. When you bring it home to people that clearly, jurors are going to be thinking about this. And I agree with you. I don't think that these young men are getting out for a very long time.
Angenette Levy:
[00:29:22]
Well, and they may be offered a plea to plea to something. I mean, they're -- I don't know. The prosecution, unless there are flaws in the case, which I don't know what those would be, I'm assuming the prosecution is going to push for the maximum sentence for both of these guys. And then even if one takes a deal and turns on the other, I mean, what kind of deal are you going to give them. Unless the victim's family wants some sort of leniency, but I don't imagine that's going to happen.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:29:55]
Yeah. I mean, the only thing I could see is that they are so young that there is at least some argument to be made that even if they do receive a tremendous amount of time, they might actually see getting out of prison.
Angenette Levy:
[00:30:09]
Or maybe they could be rehabilitated.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:30:11]
Yeah. But when you start making comments like this is just going to be a slap on the wrist and then I'll be out in 30 days, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy with the prosecution.
Angenette Levy:
[00:30:20]
No. Or a jury.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:30:22]
Correct. Angenette, thank you so much for coming on this week. Where can people find out more about you?
Angenette Levy:
[00:30:28]
Well, thank you for having me, Josh. People can find out more about me on my Twitter page. That's Twitter/ -- well, I guess it's X now, right? I keep forgetting that. I never call it X. X.com/Angenette5. I'm on Facebook, Facebook.com/AngenetteLevy. And then I'm also on Instagram at @Angenette.
Joshua Ritter:
[00:30:47]
Fantastic. And thank you again. I'm your host Josh Ritter. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter or X at @joshuaritteresq or at joshuaritter.com. You can find our Sidebar episodes wherever you get your podcasts. And we want to hear from you. If you've got questions or comments you'd like us to address, tweet us your questions with the hashtag #TCDSidebar. And thank you for joining us at the True Crime Daily Sidebar.
