Tupac Shakur murder: Suspect pleads not guilty

The man accused of plotting the drive-by shooting that killed iconic rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996 pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Thursday.

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Wearing a dark blue prison uniform, Duane “Keefe D” Davis appeared in court for an arraignment after earlier proceedings were delayed to give him time to retain an attorney. On Thursday, Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones assigned county special public defenders Robert Arroyo and Charles Cano to represent him, The Associated Press reported.

When Jones asked Davis to enter his plea, he answered, “Not guilty.”

Prosecutors told Jones that they are not seeking a death penalty sentence in the case. Outside the courtroom, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said he discussed the decision with a panel, “and we determined that this was not the kind of case that should proceed with the seeking of the death penalty.”

“The thinking is that every case is unique, and this is a case where we didn’t think it was appropriate to seek the death penalty,” he said.

Davis faces a murder charge decades after Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight were shot near the Las Vegas Strip. Investigators said the shooting was retaliation for an earlier fight that involved Shakur, Knight and Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson.

Shakur died on Sept. 13, 1996, six days after the shooting. He was 25 years old.

Davis earlier said he planned to hire Las Vegas attorney Ross Goodman to represent him, a plan he reiterated Thursday in court. In an email to CNN on Wednesday, Goodman said he was not on the case because Davis was unable to meet the terms of an agreement wit him.

“I support Mr. Davis and I hope to get back on the case,” he said after Davis’ court appearance on Thursday, according to the news network. “There are people trying to get the finances together to get me on the case.”

Davis is expected to appear in court again next week for a status check in the case. Prosecutors expect he will go on trial in 2024.

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Remembering Tupac Flavor Flav, standing with rapper Tupac Shakur, greets fans backstage during the 1989 American Music Awards, Los Angeles, California, January 30, 1989. (Photo by Clarence Gatson/Gado/Getty Images) (Clarence Gatson/Gado/Getty Images)