Suge Knight declines to testify in trial of Tupac Shakur murder suspect

Marion "Suge" Knight, who was driving the BMW in which Tupac Shakur was shot in September 1996, told ABC News he will not appear as a witness in the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis. Knight, 61, is serving a 28-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter after a 2015 hit-and-run. He said any attempt to compel his testimony would "hurt" the party that brings him.

The trial, scheduled to begin with jury selection in Las Vegas, charges Davis, a former Crips leader, with murder and use of a deadly weapon in connection with the drive-by shooting that left Shakur dead six days later. Prosecutors have identified Knight as a potential witness, but he reiterated that he will not cooperate, stating, "Leave me out of it."

Knight also expressed loyalty to Shakur, describing the rapper as a brother and saying he misses him daily. He dismissed the prospect of testifying, comparing it to "snitching" and claiming he does not want to be responsible for another person's lifelong imprisonment.

Davis' attorneys have sought to keep the suspect's prior public statements out of evidence, arguing they were made for profit or under a mistaken belief of immunity. The district attorney's office and Davis' lawyer declined to comment on Knight's statements.