Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the man charged with the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakurs, appeared in court in Las Vegas for the first time Wednesday morning.
Davis, 60, appeared before District Judge Tara Jones. He told Jones that he had retained counsel but that counsel was unable to appear and requested a two-week continuance, which Jones granted. Davis is scheduled to appear in court again on October 19 at 9 a.m. local time.
Duane Davis, a former gang member charged with the 1996 murder of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur, is led into the courtroom during his arraignment at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 4, 2023. POOL
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a news conference Wednesday that Davis should be charged and enter a plea, but that will now be delayed until he appears in court with his attorney. Once Davis enters his plea, the judge will set a date for a jury trial.
Davis will be held without bail at least until his next court date, Wolfson said.
Click here to view related media.
Click to expand
Davis was charged with one count of murder with the use of a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement. He was arrested on Friday, September 29, shortly after he was indicted by a grand jury in Nevada.
Shakur was 25 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996. Assistant District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo described Davis as the “commander on the scene” who was “in command.” “the death” of the hip-hop icon.
“It is an unsolved case. It has been in circulation for 27 years. But I felt there was enough legally admissible evidence to move forward, so we presented it to a grand jury,” Wolfson said in response to a question from CBS News correspondent Elise Preston during the press conference. “The grand jury agreed that there is likely cause to return an indictment… any case that is 27 years old sometimes presents some challenges, but we are very confident that the criminal justice system will work in this case.” “
Davis has previously described himself as a witness to the murder, writing in his 2019 memoir that he was in the car from which shots were fired and that his nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson was one of two people in the back seat where the shots were fired. Anderson died two years after the shooting.
Officials said Davis was known to investigators. His wife’s home was searched by police in July. Documents revealed that police were searching for items “related to the murder of Tupac Shakur.” Electronics, photos and a copy of the memoir were confiscated by officers.
More Kerry Breen
Read more