Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas, a jury has delivered a guilty verdict in one of hip-hop’s most infamous killings.
A Las Vegas jury found Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, guilty of first-degree murder Monday for his role in orchestrating the September 1996 drive-by shooting that killed Shakur, according to The Associated Press.
Jurors deliberated for less than three hours following a nine-day trial.
Shakur was 25 when he was shot while riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight near the Las Vegas Strip on Sept. 7, 1996. He died from his injuries six days later.
Prosecutors Said Davis Set the Killing in Motion
Davis was not accused of personally firing the shots that killed Shakur.
Instead, prosecutors argued that Davis organized the retaliation and provided the firearm used in the shooting. Under Nevada law, Davis could be held responsible for the murder even if he was not the gunman, Reuters reported.
Prosecutors said the shooting followed a confrontation earlier that night at the MGM Grand.
Shakur, Knight and others were involved in an attack on Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson. Prosecutors argued Davis then assembled a group to retaliate against Shakur and his entourage.
Hours later, a white Cadillac pulled alongside the BMW carrying Shakur and Knight and gunfire erupted.
Davis’ Own Words Became Key Evidence
Some of the most significant evidence against Davis came from his own statements.
Over the years, Davis discussed the killing publicly, including in interviews and his 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend.” Prosecutors also presented recorded statements Davis made to investigators.
Those statements became a central part of the case against him.
The defense argued Davis had exaggerated or fabricated his accounts for money and notoriety and pointed to the lack of physical evidence directly connecting him to the shooting.
A former Las Vegas homicide detective also testified that investigators had been unable to independently verify some of Davis’ incriminating statements, according to Reuters.
The jury ultimately rejected the defense’s argument.
A Verdict Nearly 30 Years Later
Davis was arrested in 2023, more than 27 years after Shakur’s death. He became the only person ever prosecuted in connection with the rapper’s killing.
The verdict marks the first conviction in a case that remained officially unsolved for decades and became the subject of books, documentaries and countless theories.
Davis now faces the possibility of life in prison.