LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas jury on Monday found Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of first-degree murder for orchestrating the 1996 killing of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, marking the first conviction in a case that has haunted the music world for nearly three decades.
Davis, 63, was convicted of murder with the use of a deadly weapon with intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang. He faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. Jurors reached their verdict in less than three hours following a weeks-long trial.
Background
Davis is the only person ever criminally charged in Shakur's death. Prosecutors did not accuse him of pulling the trigger, but argued he orchestrated the drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996, and provided the gun used to kill the rapper. Shakur, 25, died of his injuries a week later. Prosecutors believe the actual shooter was either Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, Davis's nephew, or another man in the back seat of the car.
The case went unsolved for 27 years until Davis was indicted in September 2023, after making statements over the years — including in police interviews and a 2019 memoir — that prosecutors say amounted to an admission of his role. His defense team has disputed those statements, arguing he was never charged earlier because investigators knew his claims were unreliable.
The Verdict
During closing arguments, prosecutor Binu Palal told jurors the case was built on circumstantial evidence and corroborating witnesses, alongside Davis's own public statements over the years. Davis's attorneys pushed back throughout the trial, and he has already indicated to the judge that he intends to appeal.
Outside the courtroom, members of Shakur's family and loved ones embraced, with one raising a fist, as the verdict was announced.
Reaction
A Death Row Records producer who described Shakur as a close friend called the verdict a measure of justice, noting that 12 jurors unanimous in their decision gave him confidence in the outcome.
Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.