Suge Knight Says He Wants No Part in Tupac Shakur Murder Trial

As jury selection gets underway in Las Vegas in the Tupac Shakur murder trial, Marion “Suge” Knight is making one thing clear: he does not want to be drawn into it.

In an ABC News report published Monday (Aug. 10), the former Death Row Records CEO said he wants no involvement in the proceedings centered on Duane Davis, also known as Keffe D or Keefe D, who is accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing of the rapper. “This trial has nothing to do with me, and if somebody brings me there, it’s gonna hurt whoever brings me there. I promise you that,” he reportedly said.

He was even more direct when discussing the possibility of being compelled to show up. “They make me come there against my will, if [Keefe D]’s lawyers bring me there, it don’t look good for him. If the prosecution brings me there, it don’t look good for them,” he continued, adding, “Leave me out of it.”

Knight’s name sits close to one of hip-hop’s most replayed tragedies. On Sept. 7, 1996, nearly 30 years ago, he was driving a black BMW with Shakur in the passenger seat when the rapper was shot after the Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Investigators say Davis ordered the hit in retaliation for a fight between Tupac and Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew.

Elsewhere in the case, Keefe D appeared in court Monday as Nevada Judge Carli Kierny began questioning a pool of 75 potential jurors, including any medical issues or language barriers that could affect their service. That process is expected to stretch across several days, and possibly up to a week, before opening statements and testimony begin.

Keefe D, 63, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang in Shakur’s death. The Associated Press reported that the former Crip leader sat quietly beside his attorney during the hearing.

Knight, who is currently serving a 28-year sentence in California for a 2015 fatal hit-and-run, also said he is not willing to testify if he is called to the stand. “You have people who wasn’t there, wasn’t in the car, but they’re telling the story,” he told ABC News. “I am not going to be responsible for sending another man to prison for the rest of his life,” he continued. “If God’s forgiving, who am I to think I’m bigger than God and don’t forgive? Because I’m not.”

More than two decades after witnessing and surviving the killing of the West Coast icon, Knight said he still thinks about Tupac constantly. “There’s not a day that goes by that me, personally, doesn’t think about Tupac, or I miss Tupac,” he said. “That’s my brother.” He added, “Tupac is not here. Well, I wouldn’t say he’s not here because he’s in everybody’s mind, and the people who knew him, he’s in their heart[s].”

The trial is expected to last about a month. If convicted, Keefe D faces life in prison.