TUPAC Shakur’s murder suspect has appeared in court for the first time following his arrest, and his lawyer failed to show up for his arraignment.
Self-proclaimed Compton gangster Keefe D briefly appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday after being arrested on Friday and charged with the murder of famed rapper Tupac on September 7, 1996.
ReutersDuane Davis, aka Keefe D, briefly appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday[/caption]
ReutersThe self-proclaimed Compton gangster was arrested on Friday and charged with the murder of famed rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996[/caption]
Tupac Shakur was fatally killed in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas strip in September 1996Getty
EnterpriseDuane Davis is the only suspect in Tupac’s murder case who is still alive[/caption]
Keefe D, born Duane Davis, entered the packed courtroom wearing a navy blue prison uniform with chains on his legs and waist.
Davis was due to be arraigned on murder charges, however, the hearing was delayed to October 19 after his attorney failed to show up.
“Nothing will occur in the next couple of weeks until the next court appearance when his lawyer appears,” Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters outside the courtroom.
“We will continue to ask for no bail setting because we believe, under Nevada law and evidence in this case, that the proof is evident and the presumption is great that he will be convicted of first-degree murder, and that allows us to ask for a no bail setting,” he added.
Wolfson confirmed to The U.S. Sun that he heard Davis’ past comments regarding his supposed cancer diagnosis but that it would not affect the trial or any legal proceedings.
Davis was held without bail.
Wolfson called the investigation into Tupac’s murder an important case.
“We wanted to make sure we had legally admissible evidence. We wanted to make sure that we felt comfortable that we had sufficient legal evidence,” he told reporters.
“You know, if you’re going to charge a person with murder, he has a right to believe that the system would only bring charges if there was sufficient legal evidence.
“So, we waited until the point in time when we had that degree of evidence to move forward.”
Detectives said the self-described gangster was one of four individuals connected to the murder in the early stages of the investigation.
Davis is the only suspect in the case still alive, police said.
His nephew, Orlando Anderson, aka Baby Lane, Terrence Brown, aka Bubble Up, and DeAndre Smith, aka Freaky – all of whom have since died – were the others, authorities said.
FOOLISH PRIDE
Sources in Las Vegas revealed to The U.S. Sun that Davis supposedly laughed at cops behind closed doors and mocked law enforcement for several years before his arrest.
Originally from Compton, Los Angeles, Davis also reportedly boasted about trying to organize tours of the Las Vegas strip as a limo driver where he would describe the moments of the fatal shooting, sources revealed.
“Keefe openly mocked the prospect of justice for many years when he felt that the police were never going to take action against him two decades after the killing he almost went into hyperdrive talking and boasting about his role in the death,” the source said.
“He’d be at parties and events and enjoying the limelight, being considered the man who knew the secrets of how Tupac passed.
“When people would ask if he had fears of police taking action, Keefe would say, ‘The police ain’t gonna do s**t.’”
Davis allegedly told associates that he had a longstanding deal known as a proffered deal, which would protect him from prosecution.
“Keefe’s foolish attitude got him in trouble, and his lack of knowledge of the law may have cost him his freedom,” the source told The U.S. Sun.
“Las Vegas Metro Police had not taken that much of an interest in the Tupac case for many years because they thought they could not find compelling enough evidence to move forward.
“But Keefe’s own boasts and comments led to him becoming a person of interest for Metro, and then detectives discussed with the DA whether those comments could help them seek a prosecution.
“Keefe ignored police who made several efforts to reach out to him.
“Detectives went around to talk to them, and he told them, ‘You ain’t got nothing on me,’ and that’s why they have taken this action.”
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