Duane 'Keffe D' Davis Guilty of Tupac Shakur Murder

The Verdict

Duane Keith Davis, known as "Keffe D", was found guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon on Monday over the killing of the rapper Tupac Shakur. The verdict was returned by a jury in Las Vegas.

BBC News reported that the jury deliberated for about three hours before reaching its decision, and that each juror was asked to confirm the verdict individually. According to the BBC, Davis did not change his expression as it was read out.

CNN reported that family members of Shakur appeared emotional, with his sister Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur appearing to cry quietly. CNN said Davis briefly raised his fist toward the audience as he left the courtroom.

The 1996 Shooting

Shakur was shot multiple times in a car near the Las Vegas Strip on 7 September 1996 and died in hospital several days later. The Guardian reported he was 25 and had been shot four times.

Shakur was born in East Harlem, New York, in 1971 and rose to fame in the early 1990s with lyrics addressing systemic racism, police brutality and the struggles of marginalised communities. The case remained unsolved for nearly three decades, and Davis is the only person ever charged over the murder.

The Case Against Davis

Davis, 63, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, was charged in 2023. Prosecutors said he ordered the killing rather than firing the shots himself, describing him in court as a "shot caller" who "went hunting" for Shakur.

Much of the prosecution case rested on Davis's own words. The Guardian reported that prosecutors relied heavily on his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, and played eight hours of recordings from four separate events. Per the BBC, Davis wrote that he was a passenger in the car that fired on Shakur and had passed the gun to his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, who died in an unrelated shootout two years later.

The Guardian said the motive described was retaliation after Shakur's entourage beat Anderson at the MGM Grand earlier that night. Prosecutors Marc DiGiacomo and Binu Palal called 25 witnesses, some ordered to appear by the court.

Defence attorney Michael Sanft argued the memoir was fiction and that Davis had embellished his role, pointing to missing investigative records and a lack of direct evidence.

Sentencing

Judge Carli Kierny set sentencing for 13 October and ordered Davis held without bond until then. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors dropped their pursuit of a gang enhancement, with Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal citing "witness logistics" involving a former officer who was due to testify briefly.

Davis told the court he wanted to appeal and asked for his belongings back, including his phone and laptop. The judge said an appeal could proceed once sentencing had concluded.