Suspect charged in Tupac Shakur's murder pleads 'not guilty'

HOUSTON, US

The suspect charged in iconic rapper Tupac Shakur's murder pleaded "not guilty" in a Nevada court on Thursday.

Duane "Keffe D" Davis was arraigned in Clark County District Court for the 1996 unsolved slaying of Shakur, who was 25 at the time of his death.

Davis, 60, responded to the judge with a two-word "not guilty" plea on a charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon, according to multiple media outlets.

This was the third attempt for his arraignment. Davis did not have a lawyer to represent him during an Oct. 4 court appearance and during his Oct. 19 court scheduling. The judge gave him extra time to find an attorney to represent him in the long term.

Shakur died on Sept. 13, 1996, six days after a gunman in a Cadillac shot him four times in the chest at a stoplight in Las Vegas.

Prosecutors said a grand jury seated in the case determined that Davis was the "on-site commander" who "ordered the death" of Shakur, according to court records.

They said Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from where the shots were fired.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. However, if convicted of the murder charge, Davis could face a sentence of life in prison.