Tupac Shakur murder suspect makes first court appearance

Duane 'Keefe' Davis will be held in jail after arraignment hearing is postponed

Duane 'Keefe' Davis is led into a Las Vegas courtroom a week after being charged with Tupac Shakur's murder. Las Vegas Review Journal / AP

The former ganger leader charged with the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur made his first appearance inside a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday.

Duane “Keefe” Davis, who stood in court wearing shackles, was originally scheduled to be arraigned on the murder charge, but his hearing was rescheduled for October 19 after he asked the judge to postpone the trial while he retains counsel.

He will be held in jail without bail until at least the next hearing, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters.

Mr Davis was arrested near his home om the outskirts of Las Vegas last week.

A grand jury has charged Mr Davis with the Tupac's murder. It also added sentencing enhancement for use of a deadly weapon and promoting gang activity.

Mr Davis had been on police radar for years before his arrest. He admitted in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, to being in the Cadillac from where the fatal bullets were fired.

He also admitted to his role in the murder in a 2009 interrogation with police, but an agreement prevented any of those statements from being used against him.

Prosecutors said Mr Davis's own words had reignited the case against him. Over the summer, police raided his home to search for documents and other items related to the crime.

Tupac was killed in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. The shooting came after a fight broke out between him and Mr Davis's nephew, Orlando Anderson, at a hotel earlier that night.

He was shot four times and died in hospital days later.

Mr Davis considers himself to be the last living witness to the murder.