LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Duane Keith Davis, also known as "Keefe D," appeared before a judge on Wednesday morning after his arrest in connection with the killing of rap legend Tupac Shakur.
Davis' hearing lasted for less than 60 seconds. He told Judge Tierra Jones he'd retained an attorney to represent him and his attorney had asked for a continuance of two weeks.
Jones ordered Davis to appear in court again on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m.
Davis was originally scheduled to be arraigned on charges related to the fatal shooting of Shakur on the Las Vegas Strip on Sept. 7, 1996. He is charged with open murder with use of a deadly weapon, with a gang enhancement.
In the decades since Shakur was killed, speculation has swirled around who actually fired the fatal shots. In recent years, Davis has spoken publicly about Shakur's killing — comments that police and prosecutors used to secure his indictment and arrest last week.
The night of the shooting, Shakur and Marion "Suge" Knight, his Death Row Records boss, were in a black BMW on Las Vegas Boulevard when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and shots were fired.
Davis, his nephew Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, Deandrae "Dre" Smith and Terrence "T-Brown" Brown were the four people in the Cadillac.
For many years after the shooting, it was widely believed that Anderson — who died in an unrelated shooting in 1998 — fired the shots that killed Shakur.
In recent testimony before a Clark County grand jury, witnesses told the jury it was actually Dre Smith who fired the gun. Smith is also deceased.
Jurors also heard testimony that Davis was in a position of authority over the other men in the car, who a former Compton gang homicide detective testified were all members of the South Side Crips. Witnesses told the jury no shots would have been fired unless Davis gave the OK.
Under Nevada law, those who aid in a crime can still be prosecuted for it.
In public statements since Davis' arrest, Shakur's family members questioned why it took 27 years to make an arrest in the case.
"I was taken aback when the Las Vegas police department started reaching out to the family. The timing is curious," Shakur's stepbrother Mopreme said. "I do appreciate that it's some form of accountability for the family, but it's not over."
After the hearing, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson was asked to address the timing of the arrest.
"We wanted to make sure we get it right," Wolfson 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 is sufficient legal evidence. So we waited until the point in time when we had that degree of evidence to move forward."
What happens next?
Davis is being held without bail, and Wolfson said that will remain the case "at least until his next court appearance."
"We will continue to ask for a no bail setting because we believe, under Nevada law and the 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," Wolfson said.
At his next hearing in two weeks, Davis will be arraigned and have the opportunity to enter a plea. Wolfson indicated he believes Davis will plead not guilty.
Davis will also have the right to invoke the speedy trial act, in which case a trial date would be set within 60 days. If Davis waives his right to a speedy trial, a trial date would be set next year.
"We have to wait to see at the arraignment what he chooses to do," Wolfson said.
