A SELF-confessed gangster will plead not guilty in relation to murder charges of Tupac Shakur – despite admitting several times to being a central player in the killing of the rap icon.
Attorney Ross Goodman was retained by Duane “Keefe D” Davis (also sometimes written as Keffe D) to represent him at his arraignment hearing on Thursday morning in Las Vegas.
GettyA somber Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis is pictured during his brief court appearance on Thursday[/caption]
GettyRapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996[/caption]
GettyDuane Davis was arrested on September 29 and charged with the murder of famed Los Angeles rapper Tupac Shakur[/caption]
GettyDavis speaks with his attorney, Ross Goodman[/caption]
The US SunDespite only briefly looking at Duane Davis’ file, attorney Ross Goodman told The U.S. Sun he feels that he has a defense[/caption]
However, it is unclear whether Goodman will represent Davis for any hearings or cases moving forward.
Goodman, who is the son of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, confirmed to The U.S. Sun, “I am unsure whether I will represent him after this.”
But, he confirmed that “Keefe intends to plead not guilty in this case.”
Goodman added to The U.S Sun that even though he has taken just a brief look at the case, he feels that he has a defense as “there is no weapon, no car, and no witnesses.”
“Let’s see what happens,” he added.
Davis, 60, looked somber as he entered the courtroom shackled with handcuffs and leg irons, dressed in a blue Clark County Detention Center jumpsuit.
He was seated next to five other defendants in front of the packed public gallery.
The accused killer began exchanging conversations with other defendants and even displayed a wry grin.
Davis continued to stare out in the gallery and shift nervously around, feeling the discomfort of his shackles, and sat down.
The bald-headed criminal, who sports a grey beard, then settled and stared blankly at his lawyer.
Judge Tierra Jones then began the hearing, which Davis stood up for as Goodman asked for a two-week arraignment and added “I am not going to confirm” if he will represent the defendant.
Jones then warned Davis that he needed to secure representation: “We got to keep this case moving.”
She warned him that she would appoint a public defender if he could not lock in counsel.
The case bearing lasted no more than 70 seconds as the judge set the next hearing for November 2.
Goodman said: “Have a good day.”
After the hearing, Goodman told reporters that the case is 27 years in the making: “It’s a big case. It’s 27 years in the making.
“So I understand there’s about 600 pages of grand jury transcripts. And you can imagine the amount of evidence and potentially of impeachment evidence that comes along with all these witnesses are going to come out of this.”
DRIVE-BY SHOOTING
Davis was arrested outside his home in suburban Henderson on September 29, months after investigators executed a search warrant on his property in connection to the 1996 murder of Tupac.
The drive-by shooting occurred near the Las Vegas Strip on the night of September 7, 1996, hours after a brawl at the MGM Grand between members and affiliates of two rival Compton street gangs, Las Vegas police said.
A white Cadillac pulled up alongside a car driven by then-CEO of Death Row Records, Suge Knight, and Tupac near the strip and opened fire.
Detectives said Davis was one of four individuals connected to the murder.
Davis is the only suspect in the case still alive, police said.
His nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Terrence “Bubble Up” Brown, and DeAndre “Freaky” Smith – all of whom have since died – were the other suspects in the Cadillac.
Prosecutors said Davis was the “on-ground, on-site commander” and orchestrated the shooting as payback after Tupac, Knight, and several others assaulted his nephew at the MGM Grand hours before.
Davis was initially scheduled to be arraigned on murder charges during a hearing on October 4, but the arraignment was postponed after his attorney failed to appear in court.
A trial is not likely to start until 2024.
The U.S. Sun obtained the shocking bodycam footage of Davis’ arrest, who police said was bragging about the crime despite facing a potential life sentence.
An unfazed Davis boasted: “I don’t give a s**t. I ain’t worried” about the case.
As he sat in the back of a patrol car, Keefe spoke with a police officer driver, who asked: “What they got you, for man?”
Davis replied, “Biggest case in Las Vegas history,” when asked if it was recent, the smug gangster responded: “September 7, 1996.”
‘ENJOYING THE LIMELIGHT’
Since his arrest, sources have revealed to The U.S. Sun that Davis is “enjoying the limelight” of being embroiled in the “biggest case in Las Vegas history.”
The sources claim that Keefe “appears to be ready to become famous” and “may be looking forward to gaining notoriety with the high-profile court case.”
One Las Vegas source revealed: “Keefe has an extraordinary attitude to this whole case.
“Obviously, being cuffed and put in protective custody is not ideal, but the attention he is getting from this matter is something he is thriving on.
“There is definitely a sense that Keefe is loving the limelight and boasting about his role as a major gangster figure in LA.
“Whatever happens in court, It is clear that he feels that he was free to discuss the murder because of a deal with LAPD, that has always been his argument.”
One Las Vegas friend of Keefe added: “Look Keefe knew that Metro Police wanted to go after him, and he knew that he would be arrested and charged.
“But somewhere in his mind, he believes that he can get free and perhaps sell books and even a movie about his life.”
EnterpriseTupac Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight, shown traveling in a black BMW on the night of September 7, 1996[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
