Rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder suspect Duane "Keffe D" Davis has appeared in court for the first time in Las Vegas.Read full article
On October 4, Davis, 60, made an appearance before Tara Jones of the district court.
Jones granted his plea for a two-week continuance after hearing from him that he had retained counsel but that they were unable to present. On October 19 at 9:00 a.m. local time, Davis is expected to return to court.
According to Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson, Davis was scheduled to be arraigned and make a plea on Wednesday, but that process will now be postponed until he shows up in court with a counsel. The court will schedule a jury trial once Davis enters his plea.
According to Wolfson, Davis will remain detained without bond at least until his upcoming court date.
Davis is accused of committing one count of murder while using a dangerous weapon and an additional gang-related crime. He was taken into custody on Friday, September 29, not long after a Nevada grand jury indicted him.
On September 7, 1996, Shakur, then 25 years old, was slain in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo referred to Davis as the "on-ground, on-site commander" who "ordered the death" of the hip-hop legend.
The case is unsolved. It has persisted for 27 years. We presented it to a grand jury because, in my opinion, there was enough legally admissible evidence to proceed, Wolfson said.
The grand jury determined that there was sufficient evidence to issue an indictment. The criminal justice system will function in this case, notwithstanding the difficulties that come with any case that is 27 years old.
In his 2019 memoir, Davis claimed that he was in the car from which shots were fired. He also named his nephew Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson as one of the two persons in the rear seat who were present when the rounds were fired.
Davis has previously claimed that he witnessed the murder. Two years after the shooting, Anderson passed away.
Investigators are aware of Davis, according to the authorities. Police searched his wife's home in July, according to court filings, in search of evidence "concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur." Officials gathered electronics, pictures, and a copy of the memoir.
