Tupac Shakur slaying suspect Duane Davis pleads not guilty in Las Vegas court

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a suspect in the 1996 shooting death of rap superstar Tupac Shakur, pleaded not guilty to murder charges in a Las Vegas court Thursday.

Davis has been detained since his arrest on Sept. 29 and had two previous hearings delayed as he sought adequate representation.

Davis, 60, alleged that he was a witness to the murder in his memoir, coauthored by Yusuf Jan, "Compton Street Legend." Davis also alleged to have been present at the murder during an interview with multiple media outlets.

Lt. Jason Johansson, of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, has made public statements indicating law enforcement doesn't believe Davis himself pulled the trigger.

"I think the best way to characterize that is Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime and he orchestrated the plan that was carried out to commit this crime," Johansson told reporters at a news conference.

In court Davis said that he wanted to obtain his own counsel but Judge Tierra Jones told him that a public defender would be appointed to represent him "for today's purposes, to get this case moving."

Prosecutors indicated that they do not intend to seek the death penalty,

Davis is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 7.