Duane Davis, suspect of Tupac's murder, pleads not guilty

Duane Keith ‘Keefe D’ Davis, the suspect in the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, has pleaded not guilty in court, the BBC reports.

The 60-year-old suspect entered the plea when he appeared at a Las Vegas court this week. A lawyer was appointed to represent Davis after he was charged with the murder of the late rapper in September.

Davis, a former gang leader from California, faces a charge of murder using a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement. Police claim Davis planned the shooting of Tupac with his nephew after a fight in a Las Vegas casino.

Las Vegas police made the arrest of Davis on September 29, 27 years after the acclaimed hip hop legend was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in the Nevada city.

Tupac passed away six days after he was shot on September 7, 1996, while sitting in a car waiting for a red light. He died in hospital on September 13, 1996.

His murderer has been the topic of speculation for almost 30 years, with Tupac’s brother, Mopreme Shakur, recently claiming that his brother’s murder was unsolved for decades because of his race.

Shortly after Davis’ arrest, police showed hotel security footage from the day of the shooting at a news conference, where several men can be seen beating up a man now identified as Orlando Anderson, Davis’ late nephew who was killed in a shooting in 1998.

Police added that Davis had received the gun from an “unnamed associate”. Davis has also previously made admissions to being present in the car from where shots were fired on September 7.

Davis was described as being the “on-the ground, on-site commander” by Las Vegas Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo. “It has often been said that justice delayed is justice denied,” he said. “In this case, justice has been delayed, but justice won’t be denied.”

[Via the BBC]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter