Tupac Shakur’s Alleged Killer Pleads Not Guilty to Murder

November 6, 2023 634 54 4

The man charged with the 1996 murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur has entered a not guilty plea.

Tupac’s Alleged Killer Arraigned

On Thursday (Nov. 2), Duane “Keefe D” Davis appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom for his arraignment for the murder of Tupac Shakur. Davis entered a plea of not guilty with District Judge Tierra Jones, XXL has confirmed via Davis’ lawyer. During the hearing, he was also assigned special public defenders Charles Cano and Robert Arroyo. The State will reportedly not seek the death penalty in the case. Davis is next slated to be in court on Nov. 7. His trial date is expected to be scheduled at that time.

XXL has reached out to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office for comment.

Keefe D Arrested for the Murder of Tupac Shakur

Duane “Keefe D” Davis was arrested on Sept. 29, following a police raid on his Las Vegas-area home in July. He has been charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal street gang.

Police say Davis, 60, provided the gun to the man who shot Tupac Shakur in a drive-by near the Las Vegas strip on Sept. 7, 1996, following a Mike Tyson fight. The shooting happened shortly after ‘Pac participated in jumping known Southside Compton Crip member Orlando Anderson, who is Davis’ nephew. Authorities say, after the fight, Davis acquired a firearm, and he, Orlando and two other men, Terrance Brown and Deandre Smith, went looking for ’Pac. They located the rapper and Suge Knight at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Kovall Lane, and one of the men fired shots that eventually killed Tupac, who died almost a week after the shooting on Sept. 13, 1996.

Anderson was killed in 1998 in a non-related shooting. Brown and Davis have since also passed. In 2011, Keefe D confessed to having knowledge of the murder of Tupac Shakur and revealed he was present during the shooting. Following Davis’ apprehension, police explained why it took them 27 years to make an arrest.