Suspect in murder of rapper Tupac Shakur pleads not guilty

Duane Keith Davis, also known as “Keffe D”, entered a plea of not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon on Thursday afternoon in a Las Vegas courtroom. The 60-year-old former leader of the South Side Compton Crips gang is the first and only suspect ever charged for the 1996 murder of 25-year-old rapper Tupac Shakur. A judge appointed two attorneys to represent Davis, though Davis said he hoped to retain high-profile defense lawyer Ross Goodman. Davis remains in jail without bond and prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. Shakur was fatally gunned down during a drive-by shooting at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

Why is Davis being charged years after the crime? Davis had been a suspect in the case for years and has spoken and written about being inside the vehicle where the fatal shots were fired. Davis allegedly orchestrated the drive-by after Shakur and his friends beat up Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, while leaving a Mike Tyson fight. Davis’ memoir said he obtained the .40 caliber Glock pistol used in the shooting, which police say revived the investigation.

Dig deeper: Read a 1997 report from the WORLD archives on the music and projects by Tupac released posthumously.