A former leader of a Southern California street gang entered a not guilty plea on Thursday regarding his alleged involvement in orchestrating a drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas.
Duane Keith, also known as “Keffe D,” is the sole surviving occupant of the vehicle from which the fatal shots were fired and the only individual ever charged in connection with the case. He appeared in front of Clark County District Judge Tierra Jones in shackles.
During the court proceedings, Davis was represented by special public defenders Robert Arroyo and Charles Cano. Davis was denied the opportunity to hire attorney Ross Goodman, who had previously asserted that the prosecution lacked key evidence and witnesses, such as a weapon or the involved vehicle, for a crime committed 27 years ago.
Born in Compton, California, Davis, 60, was arrested on September 29 outside a residence in suburban Henderson, where Las Vegas police had executed a search warrant on July 17, reigniting interest in one of the enduring mysteries of hip-hop music. He is presently in custody without bail, did not testify before the grand jury that indicted him.
The indictment alleges that Davis acquired and provided a firearm to an individual in the back seat of a Cadillac, leading to the car-to-car shooting that fatally wounded Shakur and injured rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight at an intersection near the Las Vegas Strip. Shakur passed away a week later at the age of 25.
[WATCH: From Prison, Suge Knight Speaks Out on Arrest in Tupac Shakur Murder Case]
Marion “Suge” Knight, currently 58 years old, is serving a 28-year prison sentence in California for his involvement in the killing of a Compton businessman in 2015.
Prosecutors contend that Shakur’s murder in Las Vegas was a result of rivalry between East Coast Bloods gang members and West Coast Crips factions, including Davis, who were vying for supremacy in the genre of “gangsta rap.”
The grand jury was informed that the shooting on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas was in retaliation for a brawl that occurred hours earlier at a Las Vegas Strip casino involving Shakur and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.
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