Seven Years Without Charges: AllHipHop Interviews Prosecutor and Lead Investigator in Las Vegas

September 13, 2003, marked the seventh anniversary of Tupac’s death. AllHipHop published a series of long interviews on the unsolved case to mark the occasion. Chuck Philips, author of the 2002 LA Times series, kicked things off on the anniversary. Then on September 16 and 18, the two men whose decisions mattered for an indictment had their say. The interviewer made no secret of his stance: “7 years is long enough!” he wrote, printing both men’s phone numbers and email addresses so readers could apply pressure.

The Prosecutor: No Case on the Table

David Roger, Clark County District Attorney since January 2003, said that to his knowledge the police had never presented a case to his office. A grand jury is typically convened only when an indictment is being sought. He had never read the files on Tupac’s death himself, and to his knowledge no one else in his office had reviewed them either.

The Investigator: No Evidence Against Anyone

Sergeant Kevin Manning, head of investigations with the Las Vegas police, stuck to one line: what he personally believed did not matter, it was about evidence. And to this day there was none, neither direct nor circumstantial, pointing to any specific person. There were many eyewitnesses, including Suge Knight himself, but no one testified to having recognized the perpetrator. Manning called an affidavit containing incriminating statements against Orlando Anderson hearsay, not enough for an indictment.