Duane "Keffe D" Davis on Monday has been found guilty of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, securing the first conviction in a case that has gripped hip-hop fans for nearly three decades. A Las Vegas jury on Monday convicted Davis, 63, of one count of murder with a deadly weapon after deliberating for less than three hours. He could be sentenced to life in prison.
Shakur's sister, Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur, cried and embraced prosecutors after the verdict was announced. Davis's son, who was also in court, covered his face with one hand.
Who Is Duane 'Keffe D' Davis?
Born Duane Keith Davis on June 14, 1963, in Compton, California, Davis rose to become a senior member and "shot-caller" of the South Side Compton Crips street gang.
He operated amid the gang conflicts surrounding the 1990s rivalry between the West Coast and East Coast hip-hop scenes. Shakur was signed to Suge Knight's Death Row Records, while the rival Bad Boy Records was led by Sean Combs.
Prosecutors said Davis plotted the shooting as retaliation after Shakur and his associates attacked Davis's nephew, Orlando Anderson, in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, according to BBC.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis obtained a gun and "went hunting" for Shakur and Knight. Davis, Anderson and two associates later spotted the pair travelling in a black BMW. Shots were fired from their white Cadillac, hitting Shakur four times. The 25-year-old rapper died six days later while Knight survived.
Davis's Own Accounts Became Central Evidence
Davis first gave investigators information about Shakur's killing during a 2008 interview conducted as part of an inquiry into the murder of rapper Christopher Wallace, known as the Notorious BIG.
Under an agreement protecting him from prosecution based on those statements, Davis admitted being inside the Cadillac when Shakur was shot.
He later repeated and expanded upon the account publicly, including in his 2019 memoir, *Compton Street Legend*. Davis wrote that he had "tossed" the gun into the vehicle's back seat, although he never claimed to have fired it.
Those public statements became a catalyst for authorities to reopen the case. Davis was arrested outside a home in Henderson, Nevada, in 2023 and became the only person charged over Shakur's death.
Defence Said Davis Embellished His Stories
Since his arrest, Davis has recanted his previous admissions. His lawyer, Michael Sanft, argued that Davis was known to embellish stories and challenged the absence of physical evidence. Neither the murder weapon nor the Cadillac was recovered, while the other three people whom Davis placed inside the vehicle are dead, according to NY Times.
Chief Deputy District Attorney acknowledged that Davis's accounts had changed over time but said their central facts remained consistent, particularly his repeated admission that he was inside the Cadillac.
Jurors heard 24 prosecution witnesses and three defence witnesses during nine days of testimony. Prosecutors later said they would dismiss the gang-enhancement element of the charge because of witness logistics.
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