Former Southern California Street Gang Leader Pleads Not Guilty to Tupac Shakur Murder After 22 Years of Mystery

A former Southern California street gang leader pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder in the 1996 killing of rap music icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which shots were fired and the only person ever charged with a crime in the case.

Prosecutors allege that Shakur’s killing in Las Vegas came out of competition between East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect and West Coast groups of a Crips sect, including Davis, for dominance in a musical genre dubbed “gangsta rap.” The charge was prompted by Davis’ own descriptions in recent years about orchestrating the deadly drive-by shooting.

A grand jury was told the Sept. 7, 1996, shooting in Las Vegas was retaliation for a brawl hours earlier at a Las Vegas Strip casino involving Shakur and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. The judge told Davis that prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty in the case, and that he could face life in prison if convicted.

In court on Thursday, Davis stood in shackles as he awaited proceedings and waved to his wife, son and daughter in the packed spectator gallery. He is currently being held without bail and is due back in court on August 5th.

The case has been ongoing for over two decades and is still shrouded in mystery. It remains to be seen if Davis will be convicted of the crime and what the outcome of the case will be.