The judge overseeing the trial of a man accused of killing rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996 has ordered a two-week delay in order for the suspect to find a lawyer.
The decision came as Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, appeared in a Las Vegas court on Thursday. It was the second time his case has been delayed.
Officials say Mr Davis, a former gang leader, orchestrated the killing in revenge for an attack on his nephew.
Mr Davis appeared in court in handcuffs and wearing a blue prison uniform.
He has yet to formally enter a plea and was expected to at Thursday’s hearing before the new delay was ordered.
A new arraignment hearing was ordered by Judge Tierra Jones for 2 November.
Judge Jones said that if Mr Davis has not hired a lawyer by then, a public defender will be appointed for him.
“We got to get this case moving, understand,” she said.
Mr Davis one of the last living witnesses to the fatal September 1996 drive-by shooting.
He has admitted on multiple occasions, including in his 2019 tell-all memoir, Compton Street Legend, that he was in the car from which shots were fired.
Shakur, a hip-hop legend, was shot four times aged 25 in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas.
Orlando Anderson, the suspect’s late nephew, and Shakur had been involved in a fight in a casino shortly before the rapper was shot on 7 September 1996, prosecutors say. He died in hospital a few days later.
Shakur, whose stage name was stylised as 2Pac, released his debut album in 1991.
One of the most acclaimed names in hip-hop, his death inspired several documentaries.
He sold more than 75 million records worldwide, enjoying chart success with hits including California Love, All Eyez On Me and Changes.
