Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the 1996 killing of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, bringing a nearly three-decade-old case closer to a conclusion.
A jury in Las Vegas reached the verdict on Monday September 1, after deliberating for about three hours. Davis is the only person ever charged in connection with Shakur’s murder.
Prosecutors argued that Davis played a leading role in the shooting, describing him as a “shot caller” within the South Side Compton Crips gang.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis and his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, went looking for Shakur after Anderson was involved in a fight with the rapper and his associates at the MGM Grand following a Mike Tyson boxing match.
According to prosecutors, Davis helped orchestrate the retaliation that ultimately led to the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur.
The prosecution relied largely on circumstantial evidence and statements Davis had made over the years about the killing.
During closing arguments, prosecutors presented a chart comparing four different accounts Davis had given about what happened, arguing that his own statements connected him to the crime.
However, Davis’ defence team challenged the credibility of those statements and the prosecution’s evidence.
Defence attorney Michael Sanft told jurors that Davis had repeatedly changed his story and described his account of the shooting, including details contained in his memoir, as “fiction.”
The defence also highlighted what it described as gaps in the investigation, including missing records and the absence of direct evidence proving Davis was in Las Vegas when the shooting occurred.
Despite the defence’s arguments, jurors unanimously convicted Davis after less than three hours of deliberation.
Shakur was shot multiple times during a drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996, while travelling in a BMW with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. He died from his injuries six days later at the age of 25.
The rapper’s family has maintained a presence throughout the trial. Following Monday’s verdict, his sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, was seen crying as family members held hands and embraced.
His stepbrother, Mopreme Shakur, also raised his fist as members of the family left the courthouse.
Former Death Row Records producer Darryl Harper, who attended the trial, said the verdict offered a sense of justice for Shakur and those who knew him.
Harper described Shakur as a kindhearted and funny person who cared deeply about others, saying the feeling of injustice surrounding his death had never gone away.
Davis is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Carli Kierny on October 13. He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole for the first-degree murder conviction.
The conviction comes just days before the 30th anniversary of Shakur’s death, which his family will mark on September 13.
For nearly three decades, Shakur’s murder remained one of the most high-profile unsolved cases in music history. The conviction of Davis marks the first time someone has been held criminally responsible for the rapper’s death.
