A Las Vegas jury has convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon for the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur. The verdict came on Monday after just a few hours of deliberation, almost three decades after the shooting. Davis, 63, now faces a possible life sentence without parole and told the court he plans to appeal. Sentencing is set for October 13.
Prosecutors argued the murder stemmed from a casino fight earlier that night. According to the state, Davis’s nephew had been attacked by members of Shakur’s entourage at a Las Vegas hotel. In retaliation, prosecutors said Davis arranged for a gun, gathered associates, and targeted Shakur. They told jurors that Davis passed the firearm to a passenger in a white Cadillac, which then pulled alongside Shakur’s BMW at a stoplight and opened fire.
The attack happened on September 7, 1996, as Shakur was leaving a Mike Tyson fight. He was shot multiple times in the passenger seat and died six days later at age 25. Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight, who was driving, survived with injuries. Of the four people in the Cadillac that night, Davis is the only one still alive and the only person ever charged in the case.
The case had stalled for years due to lack of direct evidence until it was revived after Davis published his memoir in 2019 and gave multiple interviews discussing the night. The prosecution played excerpts from those statements in court as key evidence. Davis’s defense attorney countered that the remarks were exaggerated stories meant to sell books, not factual admissions, and insisted there was no other proof linking his client to the shooting.
Shakur remains one of hip-hop’s most influential figures. Born in New York and raised partly in Baltimore, he became the face of West Coast rap after signing with Death Row and releasing hits like “California Love” and “All Eyez on Me.” His death, along with the murder of rival rapper The Notorious B.I.G. six months later, defined the East Coast-West Coast rivalry of the 1990s and has fueled speculation for decades.
Jury Convicts Ex-Crips Leader Keffe D of First-Degree Murder in Tupac Shakur Case, Nearly 30 Years Later
